Love Conquers All
by Nicolaasa
Summary: Iliana Vose waited eleven eager years for the arrival of her Hogwarts letter. But little did she know that the delivery of the infamous vanilla envelope would mark the beginning of the rest of her life. Growing from a girl into a woman she will form life long friendships, find eternal love, learn of good and evil, and discover hidden secrets that will change everything... forever.
1. Goodbye's Greeting

**Chapter 1. Goodbye's Greeting**

Two tiny twists of a toy were all it took to bring life into the room. The bored silence that had existed only moments ago vanished and the sound of music filled the air, its melody being heard by one set of ears as it drifted around the space and into the hall. It was a lovely tune, its tone airy, and joyful.

Along with the ballad came the dancer. For at the precise instant the song was heard the ballerina was also seen. The second the notes began to play the pretty statue stirred from her frozen state and moved to the music, her soul and mind completely controlled by the song's instrumental. She danced with a beauty and grace no human could possibly achieve, in her glittery silver tutu, pirouetting and gliding on the wooden floor.

To the little ballerina, dancing was her equivalent to breathing. She danced, because besides dance, nothing else mattered. Nothing else was of any importance whatsoever. Well, nothing except her audience, which consisted of just one young brunette.

That brunette, a small girl, sat criss-crossed in front of the porcelain doll, watching with pale green eyes as the miniature figurine leaped and bounded across her bedroom, adjusting its choreography to the area the light pink walls allotted. The girl swayed her head to the song's rhythm, truly appreciating the ballerina and the song that played.

This music box had belonged to her for as long as she could remember and she knew the entire tune by heart. It was her most favorite possession in the world and she had been the one start it now, wanting to see it play one more time before she left. She was also in dire need for something, anything, to distract her while she waited impatiently for the time to pass. But as she tried her best to stop any thoughts from entering her mind and simply watch the ballerina dance, butterflies began fluttering in her stomach and her attention couldn't help but wander from the display in front of her, thinking of where she would be headed to in only a matter of minutes. She smiled softly, her dimples visible, and played with the hem of her lilac skirt, looking but not truly seeing the ballerina any longer.

You see, today was by no means any ordinary day. Today was September the first. It was the day that she had been anxiously waiting for since she was a little girl. It was the day that every single boy and girl in the wizarding world waited his or her entire life for. Today was the day that Iliana was finally going to Hogwarts.

From the moment a brown-feathered owl had given Iliana her Hogwarts letter, nearly two months ago, she had been counting down the days until she would be leaving, and now it was hard to believe it was actually here. This morning she had woken up even before the sun, too excited to sleep any longer, and spent over an hour going over her school list, again, to be absolutely sure she had packed everything she would need this year. The rest of the morning, after her mother forced her to eat breakfast and she had dressed, was spent eagerly waiting to go. At one point, she had been so eager to leave that she even resorted to sitting in front of the Grandfather clock that resided in her family's sitting room, staring up at its round, white face as the small black hand moved one second at a time, willing with all her might for it to go faster. Yet, no matter how much she wished for the time to quicken, it seemed to be moving at an excruciatingly slow pace. That was why she sat here now, in her bedroom, on her floor, with her music box, ultimately trying and failing to occupy herself any way she could.

The creaking of her door was what brought the eleven year old out of her thoughts. She raised her head, wanting to know who was there, when she spotted what had made the noise. She did a double take before nimbly returning her gaze to the still dancing statue, trying her best to suppress her grin. Because, there, peaking through the crack of the slightly ajar door, was a bulbous magenta eye. It did not blink, not even once, as it ogled at Iliana's music box in fascination.

Iliana bit her lip to keep from laughing and spoke as normally as she could, hoping to take the oblivious creature by surprise.

"I know you're there, Jispey." She said nonchalantly, looking at the door out of the corner of her eye.

A high-pitched yelp sounded and the eye, along with the rest of its body, lurched back in shock. Iliana couldn't hold in her laughter any longer as she heard Jispey's embarrassed squeak and a loud crash. In a fit of giggles, she waved her hand and the door opened fully, revealing her family's house-elf, sprawled out on the floor, entangled in its own legs.

Iliana was about to get up to help the elf, when Jispey rushed to right herself and got on her knees, clenching her hands in apology.

"Jispey is sorry, Miss Iliana. So very sorry!" Jispey sobbed. Her big, pointy ears were bent in shame and tears fell from her enormous eyes. "Jispey did not mean to spy! She was only curious! She heard the pretty music!"

Iliana's eyes widened remorsefully and she instantly regretted scaring the poor creature.

"Oh no, you did nothing wrong, Jispey!" Iliana exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. "I'm the one who should be sorry! I was just trying to play with you!"

Jispey paused mid-cry and looked hopefully into her eyes.

"So, Miss Iliana is not upset with Jispey?" she asked timidly. Her eyes widened when Iliana shook her head again and smiled softly.

"Of course not, Jispey. You can come to my room whenever you want. I don't mind. You know that. Come." Iliana said, ushering the elf closer so that she could have a clear view of the enchanted figurine. She felt bad for making Jispey cry and truly wanted to help her feel better.

Jispey perked up immediately and blew her long, pointy nose with the white pillowcase she wore before wobbling over. Iliana patted her head affectionately and they both turned to watch the rest of the dance. It came to an end a minute or so later.

"Thank you. Your performance was very lovely." Iliana said politely, clapping for the toy dancer. Jispey bashfully nodded her head in agreement. The ballerina, pleased with the compliment, bowed graciously, gave one final twirl and sashayed back to her silver pedestal, immobilizing into an arabesque pose once she was on it.

Iliana stood up to put the music box back where it belonged, and smiled when she saw that Jispey had continued to stare at it as she carried it carefully over to her bedside table.

"Did you like the dance, Jispey?" Iliana asked knowingly, sitting on her bed. Jispey nodded fanatically. "Well, while I'm gone you can listen to it whenever you'd like, alright? Take special care of it for me."

Jispey clasped her hands in elation.

"Of course, Miss Iliana. Jispey will take good care of the mistresses' music box."

"Good." Iliana sighed, tracing one of the hundred sparkly gold swirls that decorated her bedspread.

Jispey smiled merrily, and continued to stare at Iliana from where she stood in the center of the room.

"Sit down." Iliana told the elf, patting a spot on the bed. But Jispey simply plopped down on the floor, content to sit where she was. Iliana shook her head and laughed.

"Is Miss Iliana ready for Hogwarts?" Jispey squeaked.

Just to hear the word Hogwarts made Iliana excited. She smiled brightly.

"Yes! I can't wait, Jispey! Can you believe it? I'm going to Hogwarts! Me!" Iliana almost shouted, bouncing in her seat, her heart bubbling with pure excitement. So absorbed in her glee, she missed the sad look Jispey gave her.

"Jispey will miss, Miss Iliana." Jispey whispered dolefully, looking down at her hands in her lap.

Iliana frowned at the elf's words, apprehending for the first time that she would not be seeing Jispey again until Christmas. The two had shared a special bond since Iliana was a small child, and had never spent much time apart until now. Iliana walked over to Jispey and sat down in front of her.

"I'm going to miss you too, Jispey." Iliana replied. "But its not forever, and just you wait, when I get back I'll have loads and loads of Hogwarts stories to tell you!"

"Really?"

"Really! I'll tell you all about the new friends I've made, and my classes, and all the spells I've learned!"

Iliana grinned when Jispey's eyes lit up in anticipation.

"Miss Iliana must go to Hogwarts now then! The sooner Miss goes, the sooner she comes back and tells Jispey her stories!"

Iliana barked out a laugh as Jispey scrambled to the door, now completely thrilled with the idea of her departure.

Not a second later, a voice came from downstairs.

"Girls, its time to go." her Mother called.

Iliana jumped up, grinning from ear to ear. It was finally time!

"Its time to go, its time to go!" She sang happily, while Jispey spun around in joy. Iliana analyzed her room to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. Once sure she had everything packed, she darted over to her trunk, and gripped the handle, trying to lift it without much success. The trunk was too heavy. She barley managed to drag it across the floor a bit, when Jispey came to her aid.

"Would Miss Iliana like some help?" she inquired respectfully. Iliana rolled her eyes and held the bridge of her nose, realizing how silly she had just been.

"Yes, please!" she said, stepping away from the trunk. Jispey promptly stepped forward, grasped the case, and disappeared with a pop, taking the trunk with her.

"Thank you!" Iliana whispered, although she knew Jispey probably didn't hear her. She hurried to pick up her cat carrier, ready to sprint down the stairs, but there was a problem. There was no cat inside the crate.

Iliana blanched.

"Ianthe." She called. "Ianthe, come here girl. We have to go." She let out an exasperated breath and speedily walked around her room, checking behind her curtains, in her wardrobe, and every nook and cranny the kitten could have been in. She had just gotten on her hands and knees to look under the bed when her sisters passed by, both urging her to hurry up as they made their way to the stairs. It was just Iliana's luck that when she lifted the duvet, and peeked under her mattress, she found her. The gray and white Turkish Angora feline was in the dark, curled up, and sleeping peacefully.

Iliana pulled her out, holding the furry animal to her chest gently.

"So, that's where you were hiding." She kissed her sweetly. "I couldn't possibly go to Hogwarts without you now, could I?" The kitten meowed in response and Iliana gingerly put her in the tiny crate, closing the latch.

"Come on, let's go!" She told Ianthe, skipping out of her bedroom and down the hall. She practically ran down the stairs, keeping a hold on the railing to steady herself incase she tripped.

She found her Mother and sisters in the sitting room.

"Are we all ready to go?" Celine asked her daughters as Iliana stepped into the room, glancing at each one. Her caramel hair was styled in a chignon, and the robes she wore were of the deepest coral.

"Yes, Mummy." Iliana replied, hopping over to her Mother.

Celine bent down to Iliana's height, adjusting the bow in her hair, and smoothing out her skirt to rid it of any wrinkles.

"Are you sure, darling?" She said as she stepped back, raising an eyebrow at her youngest daughter. "You have your robes? Books? Quills? Cauldron?"

Iliana bobbed her head up and down.

"Yes, Mum."

"Of course she has everything, Mother. She's checked her luggage just about a million times." Vianney teased from where she sat on the sofa, applying a ruby red lipstick. Her light brown hair was cut in a stylish bob, which, according to Witch Weekly, was the most fashionable hairstyle of the season, and her hazel eyes shined with amusement as she looked at herself in the hand mirror she held.

Iliana flushed bright red, and looked down at her feet.

Seeing that her feelings had been hurt, Iliana's other and oldest sister, Annalise, a simple girl with a single plait holding back her dirty blonde hair, elbowed Vianey in the ribs.

"Oww!" Vianney squealed, gaping at Annalise, who had a smug smirk on her face. "That hurt!"

"It was supposed to." Annalise shrugged, not paying attention to the nasty look Vianney sent her way. Instead, she placed her index finger on her chin and looked deep in thought, her brows furrowed in deep concentration. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Vianney, but when you were about to be a first year, didn't you wear your school robes every day until we went off to school? That seems a tad more ridiculous than checking a suitcase, don't you think?" she asked cleverly, winking a brown eye at Iliana.

Iliana laughed. She had only been six when Vianney went to Hogwarts for the first time, but she did vaguely remember seeing her prance around the house in her uniform constantly that summer after buying them in Diagon Alley.

Standing up and crossing her arms over her chest in humiliation, Vianney's face became the same shade as her painted lips. Both sisters began to laugh at her heartily, and even Celine, who tried keeping a straight face, let out a few chuckles. Vianney stomped her foot and let out a whine.

"Don't we need to get going, Mother? We wouldn't want to miss the train." She complained, trying her best to change the topic.

Celine sighed and nodded, holding out a manicured hand to Iliana. Iliana grasped it and Celine looked to Annalise.

"Alright, lets go. Annalise, are you sure your fine apparating, dear?" she asked, her face displaying uncertainty. Annalise rolled her eyes, and linked Vianney's arm with hers.

"We'll be fine, Mum. I passed my test, didn't I? They wouldn't of given me my license if I wasn't good at it."

Vianney's eyes widened in panic and she tried to pull away.

"Oh, no! You've only just gotten it, Annalise! I refuse to be splinched just because you want to prove to Mum that you can apparate!"

Annalise threw her an annoyed glance and waved.

"We'll see you there!" She said brilliantly, pulling Vianney to her roughly. Vianney shrieked and then with a loud crack the pair was gone.

Celine glanced at Iliana.

"Hold on, darling." She said firmly.

Iliana nodded once and took a deep breath, tightening her grip on Celine's hand as much as she could. She clenched her other hand onto Ianthe's carrier, and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the journey. Almost instantaneously, she was yanked off the ground and sucked into the portal, her body twisting and turning at extremely intense speeds. She was pulled and stretched in every direction, and her insides felt as though they had been transformed to gelatin, flipping and flopping rapidly within her. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. The movements made Iliana's head spin and she suddenly felt very, very dizzy. But almost as quickly as it started, it stopped.

Iliana felt Celine's arms steady her as their feet made contact with the hard stone floor, keeping her from loosing her balance and falling over. With her eyes still closed, she could hear laughter, chatter, and hasty movement close by. Slowly, she opened them, her vision being met with King's Cross Station. Everywhere she looked there were people, the station overflowing with Muggles. They rushed about the station in strange clothes, children, adults, and the elderly, all hurriedly bustling to get to their trains.

"Come on, girls." Celine said, straightening her back and walking into the sea of people, her heels clicking against the floor with every step she took. Iliana followed after her, Annalise and Vianney not far behind.

The three grabbed trolleys and placed their luggage onto them before moving through the station towards the barrier. Iliana tried her best not to crash into anyone with her cart on the way there, but she had only narrowly missed hitting a rather large muggle man with a bushy mustache when he walked right in front of her trolley. She opened her mouth to apologize, but the man merely glowered at her and continued walking, his expression changing into a haughty sneer as he turned to the exit.

"Platform nine and three-quarters!" Iliana heard him snort in disbelief, sounding like a pig. "Preposterous! They're all mad, the whole lot of them. Should have just flown on their magic carpets instead of riding on a train that doesn't exist!"

Iliana narrowed her eyes at the beefy man's comment and wasn't surprised when a woman's polka dot umbrella "unexpectedly" burst open right in front of him. The brolly hit his round stomach with such a great force that it sent him tumbling flat down on his bum. Iliana giggled at the rude man's flabbergasted, red face, and continued on her way, trailing after her sisters.

"Must the station be filled to the brim with Muggles every single year?" Celine sighed, having witnessed the entire interaction between the Muggle and her daughter. She raised a disapproving brow at Iliana, but didn't comment on it as she helped guide her through the crowd. The man had been very uncouth after all.

They came to a halt when they reached the barrier, stopping to stand a little farther back as they waited their turn to pass through it.

For in front of the wall, exactly between platforms nine and ten, stood a boy. His hands were tensely gripped onto the handle of his trolley as he remained there, eyeing the brick wall in front of him with wide, unbelieving eyes. He made no move to move, and stayed rooted to where he was, not breathing or blinking. Anyone, Muggle or Wizard, could tell that he was nervous. Iliana couldn't see his face, but she could see that he had messy black hair and wore clothes that were obviously way too loose for his thin frame.

By him were three others. A plump woman, with a kind face and bright red hair, and two youths. One was a tall, lanky boy with a long nose and a face full of freckles. The other was a younger girl with matching freckles and chin-length hair decorated with colorful barrettes. They had to be the woman's children, considering they all shared the same shade of flaming red locks.

Out of the three, Iliana hadn't heard any of them utter a word to the boy. They did not open their mouths to explain to him that he actually had to go through the wall or even ask if he was all right. They simply stared at him expectantly, patiently waiting for him to walk through it. Iliana wondered if they had already enlightened him on what he had to do to get to the other side or if he still had absolutely no clue.

"Do you think he needs help?" Iliana pondered aloud, not taking her eyes off the raven-haired boy.

Hearing what she said, the boy was abruptly broken from his daze and sharply turned his head to where her voice had come from.

Iliana's breath stopped short at the sudden look he gave her, completely taken off guard. She was speechless, unable to conjure one coherent thing to say to him as his pretty eyes pierced hers. Behind the broken, round spectacles he wore were the greenest eyes she had ever seen. They were bright and vivid, like emeralds. She continued to stare into them, and he into her's, both unable to look away. Another second passed before the boy pulled his gaze from hers, and shook his head, looking sheepishly at the polished floor as a blush appeared on his pale cheeks.

"I know what to do, but thanks." He told her quietly, giving her a small smile. He took a deep breath and turned to face the wall again, a determined look crossing his features. Without a second thought, he bolted towards the bricks, pushing his trolley as fast as his legs could carry him and disappeared.

Vianney giggled into her hand.

"Seems someone already fancies you, Iliana!" She taunted. "And by the looks of it, you fancy him too." She said, wiggling her brows flirtatiously.

Blinking, Iliana turned her gaze from where the boy had just gone and glared at Vianney. Her cheeks burned and the rapid beating of her heart thumped loudly in her ears.

"I do not!" She exclaimed, avoiding Vianney's eyes as she watched the red heads pass through the barrier as well.

"Its alright, Iliana. You're a pretty girl; it's to be expected. I'm quite proud of you actually. Not even on the train yet and you've already got an admirer."

Iliana stuck her tongue out at her in irritation, and looked to Annalise for help, but the seventeen year old was already progressing through the barrier. She resorted to covering her ears with her hands as Vianney continued to badger her. Celine stepped in when Vianney began making kissing noises.

"Vianney Vose! Are you a young lady or a young child? Leave your sister alone and hurry through the barrier. The train is leaving soon." She ordered, gesturing to the wall.

Vianney huffed at being compared to a child, but relented her taunting and pushed her cart through the barrier.

"Are you ready, love?" Celine asked, smiling down at Iliana.

Forgetting her encounter with the boy, for the moment, and the teasing that ensued, Iliana nodded and smiled, revealing all of her white teeth. The two quickly checked their surroundings to make sure no Muggles were around, and moved forward. Iliana ran to the wall, her smile widening as she got closer and closer to the barrier, while Celine walked at a casual pace, content to watch her sprint happily ahead.

Immediately, Iliana passed through the brick and stepped onto platform nine and three-quarters. The sight Iliana was granted with when she stepped onto it was incredible. It was true that she had ventured to the platform many times during the years to drop off her sisters at the Hogwarts Express, so she had seen it before, but like year after year the view still somehow managed to leave her breathless. Gazing around her in awe, she recognized the scarlet red train, steaming and waiting to proceed to Hogwarts. It let out a loud whistle to remind the students of the upcoming departure. Besides it, on the platform, stood several magical families, populating the stage, and saying their goodbyes to their children. They talked animatedly to one another, laughing and crying over the sound of cats meowing and owls hooting from their cages.

Leaning against their trolleys, Annalise and Vianney grinned as they watched Iliana take everything in, remembering how they had been when they left for Hogwarts for the first time. Next to them, Celine fished her favorite handkerchief out of her bag, preparing for the tears that were sure to fall when she said farewell to her children.

"Well," spoke Vianney impatiently, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Are we going to stand here all day?" she probed, pushing her cart forward slightly.

"Lets go." Annalise continued. "We have a train to catch." She strolled further onto the platform, Vianney alongside her.

"Hey!" Iliana shouted as they kept going, shoving her cart as fast as she could to keep up with their strides. "Wait for me!"

The three stopped when they reached an open space on the platform and turned around to face Celine. It was time to say goodbye.

"Alright, girls. Behave, all of you!" Celine warned, eyeing all three of the girls.

They nodded.

"Study hard, especially you two." She pointed to Annalise and Vianney. "You both have O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s to take this year and I want you to do your absolute best."

The pair nodded again, pointing to their heads and giving her thumbs up, assuring her that they would.

"And take care of your sister." She commanded.

Vianney jerked Iliana to her, pinching her cheeks and cooing at her as if she were a baby. Iliana swatted her hands away while Annalise smiled at Celine.

"We'll take good care of her, Mum." She promised whole-heartedly.

Celine smiled sadly, her eyes becoming glassy.

"I know you will." She sniveled, dabbing her face with her hanky. "Your Father and I love you very much!"

She gave Annalise and Vianney a tight squeeze and kissed the tops of their heads before bending down to Iliana.

It was then, as Iliana looked into Celine's copper eyes, that a tight knot began to form in her chest. This was the first time she would be away from home, be away from her parents. She was ecstatic to be going to Hogwarts, but she was going to miss her Mum and Dad terribly. How was she supposed to go every day without seeing or speaking to them? Without any warning, tears began to stream down her cheeks and she flung her arms around Celine's neck, closing her eyes and inhaling the rose scented perfume she always wore. Celine embraced her back, holding her tightly against her chest.

"I'll miss you, Mummy." Iliana whispered, burying her face into Celine's shoulder. "Tell Daddy I'll miss him too." She wished her Father could have joined them today to see her off, but he had to work.

Tears fell from Celine's eyes as she stroked Iliana's long, ebony hair.

"I will, sweetheart!" She murmured, before pulling back, and kissing her cheek. "We love you. Be good, and don't forget to write." Celine said, grasping Iliana's hands.

"I wont. I'll write every week." Iliana promised, hugging her one last time before going to stand near her sisters.

"Goodbye, girls." Celine cried.

"Bye, Mum." They shouted back as they began making their way to the train, blending into the crowd.

"Look whose staring again." Vianney chuckled as they maneuvered through the maze of people, pointing towards the end of the train.

Iliana scanned the area curious to find out whom she was referring to. That's when she noticed him. It was the boy with jet-black hair, the one from the barrier. He was already on the train, sitting in his own compartment, watching Iliana through the window. She smiled. As their eyes met for the second time, he jumped, embarrassed that he had been caught staring and looked away from her, blushing madly. Iliana giggled, shaking her head at his actions. There was something different about him, something that intrigued Iliana. She didn't know what it was that captivated her, but she was sure she would find out.

The threesome eventually found an entry that wasn't completely busy with students climbing in and lifted their luggage aboard, ascending into the train soon after. Iliana, determined to find the boy and become his friend, hastily grabbed Ianthe's carrier and her trunk. She had started to heave her luggage in the direction of his compartment when her sisters realized she wasn't following them, but heading in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" Annalise questioned in confusion.

"I'm going to find a compartment. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. See you at school!" Iliana explained swiftly, focused on dragging her trunk down the narrow corridor.

Annalise and Vianney stared after her, puzzled, but then simply shrugged and went off to find their friends.

Iliana walked further down the aisle. She checked every compartment, tuning out the laughter and conversations of others as she concentrated on catching sight of black hair and glasses. Finally, she discerned them and the boy. He was alone in the compartment, silent as he stared out the window, completely unaware of Iliana's presence.

"Hello." She said in a friendly tone, stopping to stand just before the compartment.

The boy quickly looked away from the glass, his eyes going wide as he recognized her.

"Oh, hello." He replied, ruffling the hair on the back of his neck. A tinge of pink was already starting to appear on his cheeks.

Iliana only smiled.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" She questioned, hoping the boy didn't turn her away.

"You, you want to sit with me?" He asked in confoundment.

Iliana nodded and the boy swallowed.

"Sure."

Iliana beamed at his answer, and reached down to tow her trunk into the compartment. But the boy flew to his feet and beat her to it.

"Here, let me help you." He offered, bringing in Iliana's luggage for her. It was difficult for him to carry too, but since he was bigger than her, it was a tad easier.

"Thank you." Iliana told him, watching with unease as he tried lifting it above his head to store on the luggage rack. He teetered back and forth, struggling to keep ahold of it. Worried that he would hurt himself attempting to put it there, she scurried to his side, standing on her tiptoes as she pushed against the trunk to help him. They had it half way up on the rack when the train began to move. The shifting of the locomotive knocked the two off balance, and they barley managed to shove the case onto the shelf before being propelled backwards, tumbling roughly onto the carpeted floor.

"Oomph!" Iliana voiced as the boy landed on top of her, cutting off her air supply. He lifted himself onto his hands, not wanting to crush her with his weight, and struggled to get up.

"Are you alright?" He asked in concern, grabbing her hand to help her off the floor.

Iliana laughed and nodded.

"I'm fine." She assured him as they faced one another, still holding hands. "I'm Iliana, by the way." She said with a grin.

The boy smiled and introduced himself.

"I'm Harry."

"It's nice to meet you, Harry." Iliana said sincerely as they took a seat across from each other. She placed Ianthe's carrier next to her on the bench and unlocked the crate. The kitten, fully awake now, peaked her head out of it hesitantly, observing her surroundings, Harry included. Iliana called for her, but the cat's eyes were solely on him, watching him in curiosity. She stepped out of the crate, and stretched before walking over to him, meowing as she sat on his lap.

"She likes you." Iliana commented, smiling softly.

"What's her name?" Harry asked, scratching behind the feline's ears.

"Ianthe." answered Iliana.

"Ianthe…" he repeated. "I've never heard that name before. What does it mean?"

"Oh, um, Violet flower."

"For her eyes?" Harry assumed, picking up the kitten to get a better look at the violet-blue orbs.

"Exactly." Iliana replied.

An ardent hoot sounded just then, reminding the compartment that there was more than one animal in the room. A snow-white owl sat in a cage beside Harry, her amber eyes trained on Iliana as she fidgeted on her perch.

"And who's this?" Iliana inquired, reaching forward to slip her fingers between the bars of the cage to pet the gorgeous bird.

"Hedwig" Harry answered, smiling at the reaction his pet and Iliana had on each other.

"Hello, Hedwig." Iliana murmured, stroking her feathers as Hedwig affectionately nipped at her hand.

The door of the compartment slid open and the redheaded boy Iliana remembered seeing Harry with at the barrier came in.

"Excuse me, is anyone sitting there?" He asked, pointing at the empty seat next to Harry. "Every where else is full."

"No." Iliana answered, grinning at the gangly boy as Harry shook his head.

The boy gave Iliana a shy, uneasy smile and sat down. He stole a quick glance at Harry and then looked straight up at the ceiling, pretending he hadn't looked at all. Iliana and Harry, who saw him do this, exchanged a perplexed look. Iliana wanted to start a conversation with him, but it was hard to when all he did was peek at Harry through the side of his eye. She saw Harry shift uncomfortably.

"Um, hi." She said, wanting to take the boy's attention off of him.

Harry smiled at her gratefully.

"I'm Iliana, and that's Harry." The boy froze when she said Harry's name, his eyes widening in total disbelief. "What's your name?" She asked tentatively, wondering what was wrong with him.

"Ron." He choked out before turning to gap at Harry openly. "Are you really Harry Potter?"

Iliana's jaw dropped, completely dumfounded. Had she heard him correctly? Did he just say…Harry Potter? Her eyes grew wide when Harry nodded his head.

Iliana couldn't believe it! Suddenly, she understood why Ron had been acting so oddly. Harry wasn't just Harry. No! He was Harry Potter! The Harry Potter! He was the boy who lived. The boy who defeated You-Know-Who when he was just a baby. The boy who ended the war and saved the Wizarding World.

"Harry Potter." she whispered to herself. "You're really him?" Iliana asked quietly, wanting him to confirm it again.

Harry nodded his head.

"Yeah."

"So – so it's true. I thought it was just one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got – I mean, do you really have the… the…"

"The what?" Harry asked, confused.

"The scar…?" Ron whispered, pointing at Harry's forehead.

"Oh, yeah." Harry smiled, pulling his bangs back to show the lightning bolt scar.

Ron and Iliana stared.

"Wow," Iliana breathed.

"Wicked," Ron exclaimed. "So that's where You-Know-Who…"

"Yes," Harry said, "but I can't remember it."

"Nothing?" Ron asked eagerly.

"Well – I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else." He replied, shrugging.

"You may not remember, but still, thank you, Harry." Iliana expressed at once, taking him by surprise. "My parents have told me what our world was like during the war, and if it weren't for you it might of still been like that, maybe even worse."

She caused Harry to blush, yet again.

"Um, your welcome." He told her humbly, smiling slightly.

As a silence fell over the trio, Iliana looked out the window to find that the train had already taken them out of London and was now speeding past green fields filled with cows and sheep.

"Are all your families wizards?" Harry asked Ron and Iliana inquisitively, breaking the quietness.

They both nodded.

"I'm pretty sure…" Iliana answered. As far as she knew, everyone in her family was a wizard or witch.

"Er – Yes, I think so," Ron said unsurely. " I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."

"So you must know loads of magic already."

"Some. And you?" Iliana questioned Harry.

"Nothing at all really." He admitted.

"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"

Iliana tilted her head in interest. She had never really interacted with muggles too much, and tried imagining what it would be like to actually live with one.

"Horrible – well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though." He said, making a face.

"Are they really mean to you?" Iliana asked out of worry for him. He shrugged his shoulders awkwardly.

"They just aren't really the nicest people. They don't really treat me like, family, I guess."

Iliana frowned.

"They always make me do loads of chores, and I've always had nothing to wear but my cousin's old clothes." He muttered, pulling on his huge, blue plaid shirt. "And they never really even celebrate my birthday."

Iliana's mouth fell open. How could they not celebrate his birthday?

"And until Hagrid told me, I didn't even know I was a wizard. They never told me anything about being able to do magic or about my parents or Voldemort."

Ron gasped and Iliana froze.

"What?" asked Harry, taking turns to look at both Iliana's and Ron's pale faces.

"You," Ron gulped. "You said,"

"You said You-Know-Who's name!" Iliana finished for Ron, staring at Harry in astonishment.

Ron stared at him also, shocked and impressed.

"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Harry, trying to correct his mistake. "I just never knew you shouldn't. You see? I've got loads to learn…I bet, I bet I'm the worst in the class."

"You won't be!" Iliana proclaimed, shaking her head feverishly.

"Iliana's right, Harry. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough. You'll be fine."

A clattering came from the hallway and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their compartment door, interrupting their conversation.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked sweetly, displaying a cart bearing numerous amounts of goodies and sweets.

Iliana's mouth watered. She absolutely loved candy.

"No, thanks, I'm all set." Ron said glumly, holding up mushed, lumpy sandwiches wrapped in plastic.

Seeing his face and the state of his sandwiches, Iliana had decided that she was going to buy him something while Harry dug into his pockets and pulled out a handful of Sickles, Galleons, and Knuts.

"We'll take the lot!" He exclaimed, grinning at Ron and Iliana.

"Whoa!" They said in unison, gaping at the amount of coins in his hands.

Before long, the compartment was filled with treats, the candy overflowing from the empty space between Ron and Harry onto the floor. Harry made sure to pass Iliana all the candy she wanted before the three exchanged huge smiles and dug in. They spent the next hour stuffing their faces with Licorice Wands, Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, and so much more, enjoying the treats and each other's company.

"These aren't really frogs, are they?" Harry asked cautiously, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs.

"No." Iliana guaranteed, licking her Sugar Quill. "It's only a spell."

"Besides, it's the cards you want!" Ron told him, reaching out to grab a gold and blue pack. "Each pack's got a famous witch or wizard. I've got about five hundred meself."

Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog, but was too slow to keep it from escaping. The frog jumped out of his hands and onto the window, letting out a loud croak before leaping out.

"Oh, that's rotten luck. They've only got one good jump in them to begin with." said Ron as he tightened his grip on his own frog and took a bite.

"I got Dumbledore." Harry announced, holding out the card so Iliana and Ron could see him. An old man with long silver-white hair, a long, crooked nose, and half-moon spectacles stared back at them, giving them a small smile.

"I got about six of him." Ron boasted.

"Hey, he's gone!" Harry exclaimed, staring at the card with wide eyes.

Amused, Iliana giggled as Harry shook the card to see if he could somehow get the wizard to reappear.

"Harry, he isn't going to stay there all day." She said, earning a confused look from him. "He'll come back."

"No, I've got Morgana again." Ron sighed, tossing his card onto the seat.

"You know, in the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos." Harry enlightened Iliana, passing her another candy.

"Really?" She asked in disbelief. "They don't move at all?"

Harry shook his head.

"That's weird." Ron remarked.

"What else is different in the Muggle world?" Iliana asked Harry, wanting to know more.

She helped Harry open more packs of Chocolate Frogs to collect the cards, while Ron ate them, listening to Harry as he told her everything he knew about it. It was very fascinating. In turn, she and Ron told him everything they could about their world. Once no more packs of Chocolate Frogs remained, the three simply moved on to eating more candy.

Iliana had just taken a bite of a Chocoball, tasting the delicious strawberry and cream filling, when Harry opened a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor! You can get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George swears he even got a bogey-flavored one once."

"Yuck!" Iliana squirmed, trying to get the image of eating a bogey-flavored bean out of her head.

Ron picked up a green bean, examined it carefully, and bit into a corner.

"Bleaaargh – see? Sprouts." He spat, taking a bite of a Pumpkin Pasty to get rid of the bad taste.

"Try one." He urged Harry and Iliana.

"No way!" Iliana said her face scrunched in distaste. "I always get a bad flavor." She huffed, feeling sorry for herself.

Every single time Iliana had ever tried one of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, she got a nasty flavor. She never got a nice one, like Marshmallow or Blueberry pie. No. It was always something gross, like vomit or ear wax.

"Coconut." Harry mused happily, chewing on a bean.

"What?" Iliana asked skeptically, watching Harry's pleased expression.

"They're good, Iliana. Here, just taste one!" He encouraged, passing her the pouch.

"Nuh-uh!" said Iliana, stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest.

"C'mon! I dare you to try one." Ron challenged. "And if you get a bad flavor Harry and I will never ask you to eat another one ever again! Right, Harry?"

Harry nodded.

Iliana scowled at the two before rolling her eyes and giving in.

"Oh, alright." She muttered, taking the bag out of Harry's hand.

"You just have to choose the one that looks the best. That's what I did." Harry advised.

Still hesitant, Iliana looked down into the bag, staring at the colorful beans. Maybe Harry was right. She had never picked one by color before, maybe that would make a difference. And just because she had always gotten bad flavors in the past didn't mean she would always get bad flavors.

After inspecting them all very warily, Iliana picked a bright yellow one.

"Please be Banana!" She begged the bean, taking a deep breath before popping it into her mouth.

It wasn't Banana.

"Eww!" Iliana cried in disgust, wanting to gag. "Rotten egg!"

The boys burst out in laughter, unable to control themselves as Iliana flailed her arms around frantically, looking for something to spit it out in. Harry handed her an empty pack of Chocolate Covered Frogs.

"I'm never eating one of those ever again!" She vowed, unable to get the awful taste off of her tongue. "Never!"


	2. Brave of Heart

**Chapter 2. Brave of Heart**

"Zo, Wahz yarv Vuilidage cheem?" Ron garbled incomprehensibly, aiming to make conversation while his mouth was full of Jelly Slugs.

Iliana blinked; baffled by the muffled words he spoke. She drew her gaze away from the window, where the landscape had changed from green pastures to winding rivers, dark green hills, and lush forests, to look at Harry, wondering if he had been able to understand anything Ron had said.

The clueless look on his face answered her question.

"What did you say, Ron?" she asked, turning to the red head.

Ron raised a hand, signaling her to wait, and swallowed the rest of the gummy candies.

"What's your Quidditch team?" He questioned again. This time it was actually intelligible.

"Oh," she said simply. "The Appleby Arrows."

Iliana wasn't a huge Quidditch fan, but her Father liked the Appleby Arrows so she supposed she liked them too.

"Hmm, they're all right I guess," Ron replied, pursing his lips. "But I like the Chudley Cannons! They're the best team in the whole league!"

The look in Ron's eyes told Iliana that he absolutely loved the sport.

"And you, Harry? Who do you go for?" Ron asked enthusiastically.

"Er – I don't know any," confessed Harry, furrowing his brows in confusion when Ron gawked at him incredulously.

"What?" Ron exclaimed, befuddled. "Haven't you heard of Quidditch before?"

"Not really." Harry said, shaking his head.

Ron looked as if he was about to have a heart attack.

"That's impossible!" He stated. "Everyone knows about Quidditch!"

"He lives with muggles, Ron." Iliana reminded the ginger. Quidditch was the most popular sport among wizards and witches, but for muggles the game was completely unheard of.

"Oh," Ron said, nodding in understanding. "I forgot. But, oh, just you wait, Harry, it's the best game in the entire world –"

And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he'd had enough money. He was just taking Harry and Iliana, even though she already knew enough about the sport, through the finer points of the game when there was a knock on the door of their compartment.

A diffident looking boy with brown hair and a round face slide open the door and came in, looking at the three of them as tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

"Sorry," He said timidly. "but have you seen a toad at all?"

They shook their heads and the boy moaned in disappointment.

"I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!" He wailed loudly, hanging his head in misery.

"You'll find him!" Iliana said optimistically, trying to cheer him up.

"Yeah, he'll turn up." Harry added.

"Would you like us to help you look for him?" Iliana asked the boy, volunteering herself and her new friends. She knew if she had lost Ianthe she would be in the same state the boy was in and would want all the help she could get to find her.

"No, that's alright." He sighed sadly. "Well, if you see him…"

"We'll bring him straight to you!" Iliana swore, giving him her biggest smile.

"Thanks" said the boy, smiling half-heartedly as he left and closed the compartment door behind him.

"Don't know why he's so bothered," muttered Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd loose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."

The three of them looked down at Ron's pet rat, Scabbers, who was snoozing on his lap.

"Pitiful, isn't he?"

"Just a little bit." said Harry, receiving a disgruntled look from Iliana.

"He isn't pitiful! I think he's cute!" She argued.

Ron and Harry both looked at her doubtingly.

"Look at him, Iliana. He's old and fat, not cute!" said Ron quizzically.

Iliana studied Scabbers for a long moment.

"I still think he is." She lied, unwilling to retract her previous statement.

The truth was, Iliana didn't think the rat was cute, not at all. But he was only an animal. He needed someone to defend him, and if she didn't, no one would. It wasn't Scabber's fault that he was aged and chunky. And although she knew Ron would have much rather preferred having a new owl or cat as a pet instead of a rat passed down to him from his brother, Percy, it was still nice that he at least had an animal.

"Well, if you think he's so cute, here," Ron said, lifting Scabbers and holding him out to her. "take him."

"Uhh," she stammered, trying to think of an excuse as to why she couldn't take the little rat. She had just wanted to stand up for Scabbers, not become his owner.

Ron continued to stare at her expectantly.

"Ron, I couldn't possibly take Scabbers away from you." She said, shaking her head.

"Why not?" He demanded smugly, just wanting her to admit she didn't like his pet either.

"Because…" she paused, coming up with an excuse when she spotted Ianthe licking an open candy wrapper. "Ianthe would probably eat him."

The color instantly drained out of Ron's face. His eyes went round and he leaned back in his seat, clutching Scabbers protectively to his chest.

"You think she'd really try to, to eat him?" He asked fearfully, turning his head to eye the kitten suspiciously. It seemed that Ron actually cared for Scabbers more than he let on.

"No, not if he stays your pet!" Iliana persuaded, picking Ianthe up off the floor and placing her on her lap. "But if he were mine, and living in the same room with her, he'd be a goner for sure! Cats and Rats do not get along."

"He better just stay with me then." Ron decided.

"It's for the best." Iliana agreed, averting Harry's eyes as he smirked at her knowingly.

Ron set Scabbers down, and the rat went right back to sleep.

"That's all he does." Ron complained. "He sleeps so much that he could die and you wouldn't notice the difference. I tried turning him yellow yesterday, to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…"

He searched around in his trunk and pulled out his wand. It was very battered looking, with chips in various places and had white hair jutting out from its tip.

"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out." He grumbled before sitting up straight and pointing his wand at Scabbers. "Sun –"

He had just begun to say the spell when the compartment door slid open again. They turned their heads to see that the toadless boy had returned, but this time he wasn't alone. He had a girl with him. She had a mass of bushy brown hair, large teeth, and was already dressed in her Hogwarts robes.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." The girl said imperiously, scrutinizing the entire compartment with her brown eyes.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it." Ron said shortly, eyeballing the girl in annoyance. But the girl wasn't listening; she was too busy staring at the wand in his hand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Lets see it, then." She said assertively, sitting down next to Iliana.

"Er – all right." Ron said, taken aback by the girl's forwardness.

"Aghhhemm." He cleared his throat dramatically. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers remained gray and dormant.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" The girl asked critically, raising a brow. "Well, it's not very good, is it?"

Offended, Ron sent Iliana and Harry a meaningful look, telling them with his eyes that he was irked at the girl.

"He just needs to practice it." Iliana told her, supporting her red headed friend.

The frizzy haired girl merely shrugged.

"I've tried a few spells, just for practice, and they've all worked for me." She gloated arrogantly. "For example…"

She got up and went to sit right between Ron and Harry. Luckily, Ron managed to save their candy from being squished right before she sat down.

"Oculus Reparo." She said, pointing her wand at Harry's glasses. In an instant, the damaged spectacles were fixed and looked as good as new. "That's better, isn't it?"

Harry took off his glasses and stared at them in amazement.

"Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard – I've learned all our course books by heart of course, I just hope it will be enough – I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

She said all of this very, very quickly.

Iliana looked at Harry and Ron, comforted to see that they looked just as dumbstruck as she felt.

"I'm Ron Weasley," said Ron, more interested in the candy than he was in Hermione.

"Pleasure." Hermione murmured sarcastically, watching Ron rip off a piece of Licorice Wand with his teeth.

"Iliana Vose." Iliana told Hermione, attempting to smile even though her mind was in a state of panic, stressing about not having learned the course books by heart like she had. She had read them, but her Hogwarts letter never mentioned anything about memorizing the course books before school began. Maybe she had enough time to do it now? She took a quick peek out the window, where the sky was in the midst of changing its hue from a bright blue to a deep purple, and realized they would probably be reaching Hogwarts soon. It was too late to memorize anything now.

"Nice to meet you." Hermione smiled, shaking her hand.

"Harry Potter." spoke Harry.

"Holy cricket! Are you really?" Hermione exclaimed, turning to him. "I know all about you, of course – I got a few extra books, for background reading, and your in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

"Am I?" asked Harry, stunned.

"Goodness, didn't you know? I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do you all know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor. It sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad… Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad." She sighed, standing up. "You three had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."

She left the compartment so fast that Neville, who had been staring at his shoelaces the entire time, didn't even realize she was gone.

"Come on, Neville." Hermione called, bringing him out of his stupor.

Iliana giggled at the look of surprise on his face.

"Good luck, Neville." She told him as he turned to leave. He blushed in response, thanked her, and went after Hermione.

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it." Ron grunted, throwing his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell – George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."

"You know, I think Scabbers whiskers look a bit lighter," Iliana told him, not wanting him to be too upset.

"What house are your brothers and sisters in?" Harry asked Ron and Iliana.

"Gryffindor." said Ron dejectedly. "All five of my brothers! Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin!"

"What's wrong with Slytherin?" Iliana asked, a line appearing between her brows.

"That's the house Vol – I mean, You-Know-Who was in, isn't it?" questioned Harry.

"Yeah." said Ron. "There isn't a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. They're all vile."

"That's not true!" Iliana stated, aggravated. "My Mother was a Slytherin and my sister's one now, and their not bad!"

Ron gaped at her.

"You have family in Slytherin?" he asked incredulously.

Iliana nodded.

"But," He sputtered. "but you're so… nice."

"They are too." Iliana declared. Her Mother was truly one of the nicest people she knew. And Vianney… well… Vianney was nice in her own way.

"You can't always judge a person by which house their in." She told Harry and Ron. "A lot of bad people do come from Slytherin, but anyone can turn bad, no matter which house they're in. It just depends on the person."

They both nodded, taking in what she said.

"Your other sister's not in Slytherin, too?" Harry asked.

"No. She's in Hufflepuff."

Ron's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"That's bonkers!" he blurted. "How can one sister be in Slytherin and the other in Hufflepuff? Those houses are the complete opposites of each other!"

Iliana shrugged. Her sisters were, indeed, total opposites.

"What do you do after Hogwarts?" asked Harry, changing the subject.

"Anything you want." Iliana told him. "You can be a Healer, or an Auror, or work for the Ministry of Magic…"

"My brother Charlie is in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," Ron added. "Oh, have you two heard about Gringotts?"

"No." Iliana said, shaking her head. "What happened?"

"It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles –" He said, glancing at Harry. "Someone tried to rob a high security vault."

"They tried to rob it?" Iliana asked, confounded. Gringotts was the safest place in the world. No one should have been able to break into it.

"What happened to them?" questioned Harry.

"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."

Iliana shuddered, chills running up and down her arms.

"Do you think it could really be him?" she asked apprehensively, twirling a strand of wavy hair around her finger. She glanced over at Harry, perceiving the worried expression on his face.

"Who knows," Ron said. "I hope not."

Before anything else could be said the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time. Three boys entered, and the one in the middle, a pale boy with slicked back, white-blonde hair, who seemed to be the group's leader, goggled at Harry in blatant interest.

"Is it true?" he interrogated. "They're saying down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So its you, is it?"

"Yes." Harry answered hesitantly, disregarding the boy to stare uneasily at the other two in the group.

Iliana didn't blame him. Both of them were thickset and looked awfully mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like his bodyguards.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and Goyle," said the boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. He stepped closer to him, refusing to be overlooked. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough, attempting to hide a snigger, but it was heard clearly by everyone in the compartment.

Draco Malfoy glowered at him.

"Think my name's funny, do you?" He scoffed, taking in Ron's appearance from top to bottom. "No need to ask who you are. My Father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

Crabbe and Goyle erupted into cackles as Ron's face turned beet red in embarrassment, causing Draco's mouth to twist into a sadistic smile.

Iliana glared at them, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn't going to sit quietly and simply allow Draco Malfoy to ridicule her friend.

"Was your Father so busy telling you about the Weasleys that he forgot to teach you any manners?" she asked Draco curtly, bringing the obnoxious laughter to a sudden halt.

"What did you just say?" he snapped fiercely, daring her to repeat the question.

"I said," she began boldly, staring straight into his steel gray eyes. "was your Father so busy telling you about the Weasleys that he forgot to teach you any manners? Because you seem to not have any."

"How dare you." He sneered. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"I don't care who you are. How dare you say such rude things to my friend! He deserves an apology!"

"A Malfoy? Apologize to a Weasley? Never." declared Draco with a repulsed expression, his eyes traveling over Iliana's small form in disdain. "What's your name, girl?"

"Iliana Vose." She answered through gritted teeth, gracing him with the meanest look she could muster.

"Vose?" He reiterated, disconcerted recognition dawning upon his face. "What's a Vose doing mingling with the likes of a Weasley? You should be spending your time with someone of your own status, not him. He's the reason you're being so rude, isn't it? Come with us before he contaminates you even more."

With a wave of his hand, Draco beckoned for her to stand.

"I'm perfectly fine just where I am, thank you." She stated bluntly, refusing his offer by sticking her nose in the air and looking away from him in distaste.

"What?" sputtered Draco, muddled. "You would rather stay here? With this blood traitor?"

"I would rather stay here with my friend!" Iliana seethed, glaring daggers. "Because that's what he is, not a blood traitor!"

"I'd beg to differ." Draco scorned, his eyes narrowing into small slits. "I thought someone of your class would be a bit smarter about the people they chose to associate with, Vose. But I see you're simply too dense to."

"Don't talk to her like that!" Harry said heatedly, coming to her defense.

"It's the truth though, Potter." countered Draco. "You'll soon find that some wizarding families are much better than others. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." He said coolly.

Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tint did appear on his cheeks as he lowered his hand and tightened it into a fist.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter." He said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."

Both Harry and Ron shot out of their seats while Iliana eyed Draco in disbelief, appalled by the words that had just come out of his mouth.

"Say that again." Ron growled, his face as red as his hair.

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy mocked.

Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles, smirking.

"Unless you get out," Harry said bravely, bracing himself for a fight.

"Leave!" Iliana ordered, pointing to the door. Ianthe hissed from where she sat on the brunette's lap, her fur standing on end as she barred her fangs at the three bullies.

"But we don't feel like leaving, do we boys?" Draco provoked, grinning at his goons. "We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."

Crabbe and Goyle surged forward, roughly shoving Ron and Harry out of the way before they could react. Goyle reached towards the pile of candies closest to Ron, and the ginger, having regained his footing, leapt forward. But before he so much as touched Goyle, the big antagonizer let out a high-pitched yell.

Iliana smirked in satisfaction when she saw that Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, his sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle. Malfoy and Crabbe ducked and backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them fled from the room, disappearing at once.

"What _has_ been going on here?" Hermione questioned, sweeping into the compartment within the next second. She looked from the mess of sweets scattered all over the floor to the trio, waiting for an explanation.

Ron, paying her no mind, went over to the window and picked up Scabbers by his tail.

"Is he alright, Ron?" Iliana asked in concern. "He isn't hurt, is he?"

"I think he's been knocked out." answered Ron, inspecting the rat closely. " No – I don't believe it – he's gone back to sleep."

And so he had.

"You've met Malfoy before?" Ron asked Harry, settling back into his seat.

"Yeah. In Diagon Alley at Madame Malkin's." Harry explained, frowning. "He wasn't very nice there, either."

"I've heard of his family." piped Iliana.

"Me too." Ron said darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He said that Malfoy's Father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side."

He then turned to Hermione, who was listening intently to their conversation.

"Can we help you with something?"

"You better hurry up and put your robes on. I've just been up to ask the conductor and he says we're nearly there." informed Hermione, her mouth setting into a hard, disapproving line. "You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"

"Scabbers has been fighting, not us." Ron replied indignantly, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"

"All right – I only came in here because people are behaving very childishly outside, racing up and down the corridors." said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "You aren't going to change in here, with these boys, are you, Iliana? That wouldn't be very ladylike. There's a washroom down the hall you can use. I can show you if you'd like."

"Oh… thank you, Hermione, but I think I'll be able to find it." Iliana answered politely, standing up to retrieve her uniform from her trunk. She was a little irritated Hermione had accused her of being unladylike, but was too thrilled about nearly being at Hogwarts to give the girl's comment much thought.

"Yeah, she can find it on her own." Ron dismissed, looking from Hermione to the door, making it very obvious that he wanted her to leave.

"Ok. Well, um, I'll see you at school then." Hermione voiced, ignoring Ron's comment to smile at Harry and Iliana. She was halfway out the door when she stopped and stared at the red head in transparent dislike. "You've got dirt on your nose, by the way. Did you know?"

Ron glared at her as she left.

"Is there really something there?" he huffed doubtfully, attempting to catch sight of his nose by crossing his blue eyes.

Iliana and Harry nodded.

"Really?" Ron yawped, rubbing his nose with his sleeve. "Why didn't you tell me? Were you two just going to let me walk around with dirt on my nose all night? Have a nice laugh about it?"

"We did tell you, Ron!" insisted Iliana as she rummaged through her trunk, searching for her stockings. "Twice!"

"But you were too busy eating a Cauldron cake to care." Harry supplemented, snickering.

Ron paused, thinking for a moment, and then smiled sheepishly.

"Oh. Sorry."

Iliana and Harry only laughed, exchanging a grin.

"Its fine, Ron." chuckled Harry, unzipping his jacket and shrugging out of it.

"Yes, Ron. We forgive you." Iliana agreed, rolling her eyes playfully before glimpsing out the window. It was completely dark, only a few stars twinkling in the night sky. The train seemed to be slowing down.

Deciding it was probably best to change now, Iliana made her way to the washroom. She slipped into her school robes quickly, finishing off the look by gathering half of her thick tresses up into a high ponytail and pulling out a few of the wavy strands to frame her face. Twirling around, she analyzed herself in the mirror, smiling softly at her reflection. She looked like a real Hogwarts student now.

' _You are a real Hogwarts student now'_ she thought to herself as she made her way back, excited and nervous for what was to come.

When she returned to the compartment she saw that Ron and Harry had changed into their long black robes as well, and were completely preoccupied with stuffing their pockets with as many sweets as they could hold. She watched in bewilderment as they continued shoving treat after treat into their pouches, wondering just how much food they would be able to fit into them.

They had just finished cramming their pockets with the last of the sweets when a voice echoed through the train.

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Iliana took a deep breath, trying to calm the wave of nerves flooding within her, and looked to Harry and Ron. Harry's eyes had gone round, very round… almost as round as his glasses. And Ron, she noticed, looked extremely pale under his freckles.

"Are you nervous?" she asked them quietly, biting down on her lip.

"No!" They denied adamantly, rushing to collect themselves by standing tall and puffing out their chests to try and seem tough.

Iliana's heart skipped a beat.

"Really?" she questioned anxiously, twisting the ends of her hair. "Not at all? I am."

Caught off guard by her confession, each boy, very hesitantly, looked to the other, deflating a bit.

"Well," mumbled Ron, staring down at his worn out sneakers. "maybe just a little."

"Maybe just a lot." Harry corrected forlornly, his shoulders slumping.

"What about?" Iliana coaxed faintly, interlacing her fingers.

"I dunno. Everything? I mean… what if I don't like it after all?" spilled Ron timorously, uncapping his bottled up feelings. "What if I'm not even put in Gryffindor?"

Iliana fiddled with her earing, swiveling the small diamond between her fingers as she pushed her own nerves aside and raked through her mind, trying to think of anything she could say to ease his worries. The uncomfortable, tingling feeling in her stomach faded somewhat as she recounted a few of the fun tales Annalise and Vianney had told her about their time spent at the magic school.

"You're going to love it no matter which House you're in, Ron." she assured him, also assuring herself.

"How do you know?" Ron asked, lifting his head.

"Its Hogwarts." she reasoned plainly. "How could you not love it?"

"What if I'm not good at magic?" Harry contemplated audibly, running a hand through his hair.

"Have you gone mental, Harry?" grilled Ron, eyeballing him incredulously. "Of course you'll be good at magic! You're Harry, bloody, Potter!"

"Ron's right. You're going to be a great wizard, Harry." predicted Iliana, giving him a comforting smile.

"You really think so?" he asked, trying his best not to blush at her words.

"I know so!" she promised earnestly. "You'll be one of the best. I can feel it."

"And me?" asked Ron abruptly, straightening up and staring at her with wide, hopeful eyes. "Will I be a great wizard, too?"

"Definitely!" Iliana pledged confidently, beginning to feel more excited than nervous now. "We all will. But in order for that to happen we have to get off the train. So come on, lets go."

Reaching forward, she grabbed Ron and Harry's hands with her own and pulled them out of the compartment to join the rest of the crowd thronging in the corridor. Voices buzzed loudly in the passageway, conversations overlapping others as pupils of various ages chatted to one another in eager tones, waiting restlessly for the train's journey to come to an end. The train continued to decelerate more and more with each passing second, until finally… it stopped. The doors opened without delay and people pushed their way towards the exits out onto a tiny dark platform. Iliana shivered in the cold night air and squeezed onto the hands of her friends as they scrambled off the train into the horde of people, not wanting to get separated. They nudged their way through the crowd aimlessly, having no idea where they were supposed to go until a lamp came bobbing over the heads of students, illuminating the darkness.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" called a loud, deep voice.

Iliana looked in the direction from which it came, and was stunned when her eyes found its owner. A giant man, the biggest man she had ever seen, stood large and tall among the students at the end of the platform, his big hairy face beaming over the sea of heads.

"Whoa!" Ron breathed, his mouth dropping open. "Who's that?"

"Hagrid!" Harry announced gleefully, tugging Iliana and Ron to the humongous man.

"Who?" gasped Iliana.

"Hagrid. My Friend. He's the gamekeeper here." Harry responded, grinning.

"C'mon, follow me – anymore firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" Hagrid hollered as Iliana, Harry, and Ron joined the assembly of trembling first years encircling him.

Slipping and stumbling they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep narrow path bordered with trees. It was so dark on either side of them that Iliana felt forced to stare at the ground as she walked, carefully placing one foot in front of the other as she tried to decipher whether or not the path was scattered with any fallen branches or overgrown roots she could trip over. No one spoke. The only sound that could be heard was the inhaling and exhaling of breath, along with the crunching of earth under people's feet as they walked. Oh, and Neville. The boy lost his toad sniffled once or twice.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder. "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had suddenly opened onto the edge of a great black lake, its water shimmering beautifully under the florescent full moon. Perched atop a high, jagged mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry night sky, was a vast castle inlaid with several turrets and towers.

"Its amazing." Iliana whispered, gazing in wonder at the magnificent sight before her.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid stated, pointing to a fleet of little boats floating in the water by the shore.

Iliana, Ron, and Harry bustled over to one of the empty wooden vessels and climbed in. Hermione, much to Ron's annoyance, followed them.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat all to himself. "Right then – forward!"

And the armada of little ships moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone remained silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of deep green ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them underneath the castle, until they reached an underground harbor, where they clamored out onto rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, jumping for joy and holding out his hands.

They then clambered up a long passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around a huge, oak door.

"Everyone here?" inspected Hagrid, counting the number of eleven-year-olds surrounding him. "You there, still got yer toad?"

Neville nodded his head proudly, raising his arms to show Hagrid his pet. The amphibian wiggled energetically between his palms, yearning to escape yet again, but the boy held him firmly in his grasp, determined not to let him slip away.

Iliana smiled, glad Neville had found his animal friend. Hopefully he would never lose the toad again.

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once, revealing a tall, dark-haired witch adorned in emerald green robes. She wore a stern expression on her aging face, her brow raised as she scrutinized the new students before her.

Iliana determined straightaway that this was not a woman to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," announced Hagrid, stepping forward.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

Turning on her heel, Professor McGonagall signaled the children to follow her further inside the fortress. She led them through an extensive entrance hall and Iliana, along with the rest of her classmates, couldn't resist the temptation to gaze around as they walked. The stonewalls were aligned with flaming torches that lit up the grand foyer, emphasizing the sheer size of their new school. It was enormous! Only a hint of its magnitude displayed with a ceiling that seemed to stretch on and on for miles. They followed the Professor across a flagged stone floor, past a marvelous marble staircase that led to the castle's upper levels, and were led into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing close together as they peered around nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room. The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will warn your House points, while any rule breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber swiftly, successfully implanting a seed of panic within Iliana's mind in her wake.

Smarten up? Now? How in the world was she supposed to do that?

"How exactly do they sort us into Houses?" asked Harry, swallowing.

"Some sort of test, I think." Ron answered unsurely, shifting from one foot to the other. "Fred says it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

"A test?" Iliana squealed, her eyes widening in disbelief. A feeling of dread dispersed throughout her body, traveling from the top of her head to the very ends of her toes. Vianney had said the very same thing. She had warned her there would be a test. A very hard test. But Iliana hadn't believed her. She had simply thought her big sister was toying with her, trying to scare her, but in truth she hadn't been. This test was real and now she was completely unprepared for it. What type of test would they be given? What would she have to do? What did they expect her to do? She only knew a few of the simplest spells, nothing test worthy!

She looked around anxiously and saw that everyone looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. Iliana tried her best to ignore the intelligent girl, and went over all the spells she could remember off the top of her head. Professor McGonagall would be back any minute, and she wanted to prepare herself as much as she could before then.

She remained unbroken from her chaotic reverie until several people behind her suddenly screamed, making her jump about a foot in the air.

"What the -?" Harry exclaimed.

Iliana gasped. So did everyone else. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the walls. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing.

"Forgive and forget, I say," said a fat little monk. "We ought to give him a second chance –"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not even really a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

No one answered.

"New students!" chirped the Fat Friar, clasping his hands in glee and smiling down at them. "About to be sorted I suppose?"

"Yes, sir." Iliana answered quietly, not wanting to be disrespectful. Harry and Ron nodded mutely beside her, along with a few other students.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by the one, the ghosts floated away through the walls.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years. "and follow me."

Eager to follow her instructions, everyone rushed to form a line, bumping into one another in their haste to create it. Iliana stood behind a boy with sandy brown hair, with Harry behind her, and Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors in the Great Hall.

The Great Hall took Iliana's breath away. It was glorious and far beyond anything she had ever imagined. Thousands upon thousands of lit candles floated in the air over four elongated tables, where the rest of the students occupied their seats. Glittering golden plates and goblets were laid on these tables, inviting only the finest and most delicious foods to be placed on them. At the end of the hall was another table filled with educators. Professor McGonagall led the first years towards them, ushering the children to turn around once they were there so that they faced the older students. Hundreds of faces stared back at them in inquisitiveness, and Iliana felt her cheeks redden. She stared down at her shoes, trying to avoid their curious eyes as an uneasy feeling grew within the pit of her belly.

"Look." Harry whispered in her ear, pointing to the ceiling.

Iliana followed his finger with her eyes and gasped when her vision met the velvety black roofing sprinkled with the brightest of stars. It was gorgeous, and seemed to not be a ceiling at all, but a pathway that transcended up into the high heavens.

"Wow." She murmured, glancing from the ceiling to Harry.

He was smiling at her softly.

"Its bewitched to look like the sky outside." Hermione commented, leaning towards them. " I read about it in _Hogwarts: A History."_

"Of course you did." Ron muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"Don't be mean, Ron." Iliana scolded, turning just in time to see Professor McGonagall come forward with a four-legged stool, and place it in front of the first years.

On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. It was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. For a few seconds there was no noise, only complete silence. Then, without warning, the hat twitched, a rip near the brim opening like a mouth, and began to sing:

" _Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

 _But don't judge on what you see,_

 _I'll eat myself if you can find_

 _A smarter hat than me._

 _You can keep your bowlers black,_

 _Your top hats sleek and tall,_

 _For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

 _And I can cap them all._

 _There's nothing hidden in your head_

 _The Sorting Hat can't see,_

 _So try me on and I will tell you_

 _Where you ought to be._

 _You might belong in Gryffindor,_

 _Where dwell the brave at heart,_

 _Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

 _Set Gryffindors apart;_

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

 _Where they are just and loyal,_

 _Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

 _And unafraid of toil;_

 _Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

 _If you've a ready mind,_

 _Where those of wit and learning,_

 _Will always find their kind;_

 _Or perhaps in Slytherin_

 _You'll make your real friends,_

 _Those cunning folk use any means_

 _To achieve their ends._

 _So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

 _And don't get in a flap!_

 _You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

 _For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The entire hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bestowed a bow to each of the four tables before becoming perfectly still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry and Iliana. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on and on about wrestling a troll."

Iliana pursed her lips, silently agreeing with his sentiment. Though she was extremely relieved to discover that all she had to do was put on the Sorting Hat, she was still very bothered that Vianney had tried to trick her, and that it had actually worked.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward as the applause dwindled, holding a long scroll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said, reading the first name on the list. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with pigtails stumbled out of line and wobbled over to the stool. She sat down and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head, letting it fall over her eyes. There was a moment's pause.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah rushed off to join them, beaming.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scurried off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left applauded this time, several Ravenclaws standing up to welcome their new Housemate with handshakes.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Brown, Lavender!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The table on the far left exploded with roaring cheers, banging their hands on the table and stomping their feet on the floor to make as much noise as possible.

"Bulstrode, Millicent!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

The table on the far right broke into composed praise, its occupants sitting tall and proud as they clapped their congratulations, smirking all the while.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Finnigan, Seamus!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione leaped out of line the instant her name was called, nearly sprinting to the stool, and jammed the hat on her head.

"Mental, that one. I'm telling you!" mumbled Ron to Harry, jerking his head to the girl as she eagerly waited to be sorted.

Iliana scowled at him, silencing the ginger with a shush.

"GRYFFINDOR!" yelled the hat.

Ron groaned, face palming.

Professor McGonagall continued to call name after name, the collection of first years growing smaller as person after person was sorted into a House. When Neville Longbottom's name was called, the round-faced boy scuttled over to the sorting hat, tripping over his own feet in the process. Eventually, he made it to the stool, where he stayed for a long while. After some time a decision was finally made and he was placed in Gryffindor. Smiling brightly, Neville hopped off the stool and ran to his House table with the hat still on his head. Iliana's hand flew to cover her mouth, attempting to muffle a giggle as the boy turned bright red and hurried back to shove it on the next boy's cranium.

More names were called, and Iliana waited for her turn patiently, beginning to feel her nerves increase the shorter the line became.

"Malfoy, Draco!"

The arrogant boy swaggered forward and took his seat on the stool. The hat had barley made contact with his head when it screamed, deeming him, forevermore, a Slytherin.

There weren't many people left now.

"Moon"…. "Nott"…. "Parkinson"…. "Patil"…. "Patil"…."Perks, Sally-Anne"….

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry stiffened, flashing Iliana and Ron a horrified glance before stepping forward. The hall broke into whispers as he revealed himself from within the crowd of eleven-year-olds, astonished to be seeing the boy-who-lived in the flesh. He made his way to the stool quickly, dodging the fascinated stares of everyone in the room craning to get a good look at him, and sat down. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head, and the mass fell quiet, holding their breath in anticipation as to which House would be lucky enough to gain the infamous Harry Potter. Seconds passed, and then minutes, still with no result. Nothing was said. No decision was made. Then, suddenly, the hat proclaimed its verdict, its voice ringing through the hall.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table erupted into rambunctious cheering as he took off the hat and walked toward the Gryffindor table. Iliana grinned, clapping for him as well.

The noise had just begun to settle down when McGonagall resumed the sorting.

"Thomas, Dean!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Turpin, Lisa!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Vose, Iliana!"

Iliana's heart gave a horrible jolt, ready to burst from her chest. The sleeping butterflies in her stomach suddenly sprang to life, flying every which way inside of her as she took her first shaky step out of line and headed towards the stool. Professor McGonagall looked down at her when she reached her destination, a twinkle in her eye as she motioned for Iliana to take a seat. Doing as instructed, Iliana climbed up on the stool. She only had a second to analyze the sea of faces observing her before the hat was placed on her head, engulfing her in darkness.

"How peculiar." murmured a small voice beside her ear. "How very peculiar."

 _What's peculiar?_ thought Iliana in confusion.

"You, my dear." answered the hat. "I have sorted many witches and wizards in my past, but non with a spirit or power quite like yours. You have a way about you. A way that allows your soul to shine onto others, displaying your goodness and sincerity. You are kind and true and just. You are also loyal, and will do anything for the ones you love. But in doing so you are also bright and cunning, for it takes a brilliant mind to uncover what must be done, and a persuasive tongue to obtain what is desired. Yet, while you posses' qualities of three noble Houses, I cannot place you in any of them. I have searched through the depths of your mind and conscience and found that you are courageous above all, much more so than you believe yourself to be. Just like the blood that runs through your veins, you are truly brave of heart. Which is why I now place you in…"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Iliana's mouth curved into a bright smile as the hat's shout echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls. She fidgeted in her seat excitedly, allowing Professor McGonagall to pull the hat off her head, and jumped off the stool, radiating pure joy as she skipped over to the Gryffindor table. Her new Housemates congratulated her with booming applause and elated hurrahs. So did Annalise, who was standing on her chair at the Hufflepuff table, shouting out how proud she was of Iliana over the loud commotion. The eleven year old grinned, spotting her sister, and waved to her.

"Iliana!" Harry called, waving his arms over his head and bouncing in his seat. "Iliana! Over here!"

Iliana made her way over to him, receiving pats on the back from fellow Gryffindors on her way there.

"I saved you a seat." He told her as she neared him, patting the place next to him.

Iliana's brows snapped together, and she gave him a perplexed smile.

"How did you know I was going to be in Gryffindor?" she asked quizzically, taking his hand as he helped her over the wooden bench.

"I didn't." He admitted bashfully, flushing as he showed her his crossed fingers. "But I hoped."

Iliana beamed, hugging him.

"I hoped I would be in the same House as you, too!" she confessed happily. "Lets keep our fingers crossed for Ron! He wants to be in Gryffindor so – "

A distressed shriek reverberated throughout the room then, suspending the actions of every single person in it.

Iliana flinched, startled by the scream, and looked to the Slytherin table. Her jaw went slack, unable to stay closed as her eyes took in the sight before her. For at this table was a student, a student in complete distraught. Oh, but it wasn't just any ordinary student. No. It was Vianney! Vianney with a huge, hairy tarantula situated on the top of her head.

"Get it off me! Get it off me!" screamed Vianney, flailing her arms in hysteria.

Elora Cade, a pretty blonde friend of Vianney's, recoiled in disgust before grabbing a golden platter, using it to try and whack the arachnid off her head. She swatted and swatted at it, but the only thing she ended up hitting was Vianney. Every time she was close to hitting the spider, it sprang off of Vianney's body, floating in the air before landing on her shoulder, or her back, or even her face.

"Who's that?" asked Harry, wincing every time the platter made contact with Vianney.

"My sister." Iliana replied, not understanding what was going on. Why was there a spider on her head?

Devious laughter to her right caught her attention.

Whirling her head around, her eyes landed straightaway on a pair of identical, redheaded twins. They were hunched over in their seats, smiling widely and snickering to one another. One held a wand in his hand; his eyes trained on Vianney as he continuously moved the spider from one place to another, keeping it from getting injured. The other twin, the look out, tried to hide the other's actions from view, laughing as quietly as he could while Vianney let out another screech. His eyes widened a bit when he saw a furious McGonagall march away from the Sorting Hat to the place of pandemonium, nudging his brother urgently. Thinking quickly, the troublemaker moved his wand, removing the spider from Vianney's presence, and maneuvered it under the tables, through and around the legs of unsuspecting students, who let out surprised yelps as the hairy creature brushed passed them. Iliana watched with raised brows as the tarantula floated over to the Gryffindor table, sliding sneakily into an open, cardboard box. A grinning black boy with dreadlocks slammed the lid down on the container the second the spider was inside it, sending the twins a mischievous smile as he placed the box beside him on the bench, out of sight.

"That was bloody brilliant!" exclaimed the boy to the twins.

The gingers exchanged a look, smirking smugly.

"We know." They responded wickedly, giving each other a high-five.

The one sitting closest to the dark boy raised his hand, giving him a high-five as well. "Thanks for letting us use your spider, Lee! We couldn't of done it without him!"

"No problem." said Lee. "I would let you two use him a thousands times over if it meant getting that reaction out of Vose! Did you see her face? It was hilarious!"

The three boys all made horrified faces, letting out high-pitched squeals before laughing.

"Excuse me." Iliana voiced as their laughter died down.

"Yes?" chorused the red heads, turning in their chairs to face her. They stared at her for a few seconds, their eyes wide, and then smiled to one another in delight.

"Well hello there, gorgeous." said one, giving her a dashing smile.

"It is truly a pleasure to be in the presence of a beauty such as yourself," added the other, winking.

Iliana giggled, feeling her cheeks warm while Harry made a face.

"I'm Fred," said Fred.

"And I'm George." said George

"How may we be of service?" They asked simultaneously, bowing as low as they could in their seats.

"I'm Iliana," smiled Iliana, introducing herself.

"Iliana" Fred breathed wistfully, testing the name on his tongue. "What a lovely name."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl." George complimented, resting his head on his hand as he stared at her dreamily.

"Iliana Vose." she told them, waiting for their reaction. She wasn't disappointed.

Fred and George paled, their blue eyes going round as they were suddenly left speechless.

"Vose?" George stuttered.

Iliana nodded, smirking. "Can I ask why you two just tormented my sister with that spider?"

They gaped at her.

"Sister?" Fred stammered unbelievingly. "Vianney Vose is your sister?"

"Yes." Iliana said. "And that prank you pulled on her wasn't very nice."

They both snorted.

"Your sister isn't very nice." informed George, crossing his arms. "She deserved what we did to her."

"Yeah." agreed Fred. "Vianney Vose in one of the meanest, most arrogant girls in school. "

"Really?" sputtered Iliana. Vianney wasn't the nicest girl, but Iliana never considered her to be the meanest.

"Uh-huh!" They replied.

"You aren't going to tell, are you?" George asked her, smiling as sweetly as he could. Fred copied his brother.

Iliana stared at them for a couple of seconds, a blank expression on her face, and then smiled. Under normal circumstances, Iliana would have surely gone to her sister and told her what they had done. But she liked these twins. They were funny and she didn't want to them to get in trouble. Plus, she figured this was the perfect way to get back at Vianney for tricking her about the sorting. She deserved it

"No." she laughed. "It was actually quite funny. She absolutely hates spiders."

"Perfect." chuckled the twins, grinning at her.

"Weasley, Ronald!"

They all turned their heads to the front, watching as a green Ron sat on the stool. Iliana and Harry crossed their fingers under the table and a second later the hat shouted out,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Iliana clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair across from Harry, happy that the red head had gotten into the House he wanted to.

"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously. Fred and George ruffled Ron's hair in congratulations.

Blaise Zabini, the only child left to be sorted, was made a Slytherin, ending the Sorting Ceremony. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the stool away. Soon after, Albus Dumbledore rose to his feet, opening his arms wide as if nothing pleased him more than seeing them all there before him.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

Everybody clapped and cheered as he sat back down. The first years of every House gasped in awe when piles and piles of food suddenly appeared along the tables, its appetizing scent filling the air. Iliana licked her lips as she analyzed the food, contemplating what to eat first. There was so much food! There was roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and other delectable cuisines. Ready to dig in, she unfolded the silverware beside her plate, laying her napkin on her lap, before loading her plate with roast beef, peas, Yorkshire pudding, and fries covered in ketchup. She popped one in her mouth, chewing happily when Harry spoke.

"Is Dumbledore, is he – a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.

"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"

Iliana laughed as Harry's mouth fell open in amazement. She watched as he ogled at all the food waiting to be eaten, not having noticed that it had appeared until now. He wasted no time, piling dish after dish onto his plate, forming a small mountain of food on it as his hunger got the better of him. As he began stuffing his mouth with food, Iliana turned back to her own dinner, eating away and savoring the delicious flavors of everything she tasted.

"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly as he watched Harry cut off up his steak.

"Can't you –?" asked Iliana.

"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly, his mouth full of chicken. "My brothers told me about you – you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would _prefer_ you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy -" the ghost began stiffly, but Hermione interrupted.

" _Nearly_ Headless? How can you be _nearly_ headless?" she asked dubiously.

"Like _this_ ," he grumbled irritably, grabbing hold of his left ear and pulling it. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder, barley attached to his body.

Iliana turned green; lowering a buttered roll from her open mouth, loosing her appetite at the gruesome sight.

Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his head and smiled.

"So – new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the House Championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the Cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable – he's the Slytherin ghost."

Iliana looked over at the Slytherin table to see a scary ghost sitting there. He had blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes smeared with blood.

"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus.

"I've never asked," responded Nearly Headless Nick.

When everyone had eaten as much as they possibly could, the left over food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean. A moment later, desserts appeared. Iliana grinned blissfully, in heaven with all the sweets surrounding her, and served herself a bowl of ice cream. As she ate the cold treat, the conversation turned to their families.

"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mum's a witch. She didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out."

Iliana laughed along with the others.

"What about you, Neville?" said Ron

"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville. "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me – he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned – but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced – all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here – they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."

Neville smiled, reaching out to pet Trevor. He had let the toad nibble on the rest of his apple pie. But when he should have made physical contact with his pet's small form, all he was met with was scraps of the dessert.

"Trevor?" Neville called, looking frantically down the table. "Trevor! Oh no, I've lost him again."

The students lifted their plates from the tables, and peaked into their goblets, hoping to find the amphibian, but he had disappeared. Iliana had just lifted the tablecloth to search for the frog under the table when Harry yelled out in pain.

"Ouch!" He cried, clapping a hand over his scar.

Iliana looked up at him in concern. "What's wrong, Harry? Are you all right?"

"Yeah." he assured her, making a face as he rubbed his scar and stared at the teachers table. "It's nothing."

"Oh, ok." Iliana said, not wanting to press him further on the subject. His scar was obviously causing him pain.

At last, the desserts disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again.

"Ahem – just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our elder students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed to the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for his or her House teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Harry laughed, but he was practically the only one who did.

"He's not serious?" he muttered to Iliana and Ron.

They both shrugged, unsure.

"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere – the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. He gave his wand a little flick, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, rising high above the tables, and twisted itself into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore. "and off we go!"

" _Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

 _Teach us something please,_

 _Whether we be old and bald_

 _Or young with scabby knees,_

 _Our heads could do with filling_

 _With some interesting stuff,_

 _For now they're bare and full of air,_

 _Dead flies and bits off fluff,_

 _So teach us things worth knowing,_

 _Bring back what we've forgot,_

 _Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

 _And learn until our brains all rot."_

Everyone finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

With heavy eyes Iliana stood up, yawning as she, Ron, and Harry joined the other Gryffindor first years following Percy through the chattering crowds. He led them out of the Great Hall, up the marble staircase, and through several corridors where the portraits were wide awake on the walls, whispering and pointing at the students as they passed. Though all Iliana wanted to do was sleep, she put on a smile and waved to the friendly portraits, her smile growing brighter as they waved back to her. Percy led them through doorways hidden beneath sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, dragging their feet. Just as Iliana was wondering how much farther they had to go, Percy came to a sudden halt, everyone following suit. Iliana peered to the front of the group and saw a bundle of walking sticks floating in the air ahead of them. When Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy grunted. "Peeves – show yourself."

A loud, rude sound answered.

"Do you want me to get the Bloody Baron?"

There was a loud pop, and a small man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

"Oooooooh!" he cackled evilly. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

He swooped down at them suddenly, and they all ducked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head as he zoomed away.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," muttered Percy as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

At the very end of the corridor hung a giant portrait of a fat lady in a pink, silk dress.

"Password?" she said.

"Caput Draconis," replied Percy. The Fat Lady nodded her head in approval and the portrait swung forward, revealing a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room. It was a cozy, round room, decorated completely in bright reds and rich golds.

"Gather round everyone." instructed Percy.

Everyone did as they were told.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor common room. Boy's dormitories are upstairs and down to your left. Girl's, the same on your right. You will find all your belongings have been already brought up. Now, I urge you all to go on up to your rooms now, and get a good night's sleep. You have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow."

Not having to be told twice, Iliana hugged Harry and Ron, bidding them a goodnight, and headed up the girls staircase. She held onto the rail as she followed some girls up the spiral stairs, dragging her feet until she reached the door to her dormitory. She opened it and walked in, finding her roommates already inside, gossiping lightly as they unpacked their belongings. Iliana observed them from the doorway. One girl with light brown, curly hair sat on the floor by her trunk, taking special care as she removed quite an array of brightly colored bows from it, and placed them in a drawer beside her bed. Another girl with black hair, dark skin, and brown eyes was busy untying the braid that held together her very, very long hair. The third girl bounced around the room energetically, talking to herself exceptionally fast as she plastered Quidditch posters on the wall by her bed. And Hermione, the only girl in the room Iliana knew, hurried to ready herself for bed. Following her lead, Iliana changed into her pajamas and hopped into bed, curling under the warm blankets. She let out a sigh as she made herself comfortable, kissing Ianthe, who was already sound asleep on the pillow, and closed her eyes. After a few minutes she drifted off into a tranquil sleep, smiling peacefully as she came to life within her dreams.


	3. Snape the Snake

**Author's Note:** Hello Everyone! I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has taken the time to read my story, and has followed, favorited, and reviewed it. It means so much to me that you all seem to like what I've written so far, and I only hope you will continue to as I continue on with this story. With that being said, please like and review, but most of all... please enjoy!

 **Chapter 3. Snape the Snake**

Iliana swallowed the lump in her throat, clutching her schoolbooks tighter to her chest as she shifted nervously from one foot to the other. Her green eyes flickered around the noise filled room, darting from nameless face to nameless face in an attempt to find a nice, friendly one in the mass of students enveloping her.

Five minutes.

That was how long she had been standing in the middle of the hall, her feet planted on the spot, searching for a person to approach. She had counted out the seconds in her head, keeping track of the passed time while also trying to buck up the nerve to simply speak to someone. But it wasn't that easy. Whether she turned to her left or her right, the people on either side were rushing off to class or busy chatting as they strolled to the staircases, climbing up them to the castle's upper levels. They paid her absolutely no mind, almost totally unaware of her existence at all. She was only acknowledged if someone bumped into her accidently. They would apologize and run off before she even had the chance to open her mouth and ask them the one question that had plagued her mind all morning.

Where was Transfiguration?

She had tried to find the classroom herself, wandering from hall to hall, up staircases and down staircases. But wherever she went she failed to find the one room she was looking for. The castle was just so massive, and she got confused as to where she was going, or rather where she was supposed to be going. Several of the hallways looked identical to others, and she was veered off the path she wanted to go in more than once when the stairs chose to suddenly move themselves. She felt like she was going around in circles, making absolutely no progress at all. Directionally challenged, she had hoped one of the elder students would be able to at least point her in the right direction. That idea didn't seem to working out, however.

Disappointed she still had no clue where to go, Iliana sighed. She would surely be late for class! If she ever made it there, that is.

Oh, where were Harry and Ron when she needed them? Sure, they probably wouldn't have known where Transfiguration was either, but it would have been a lot more comforting to be lost with those two by her side. It surely would have been a lot less intimidating. She wondered if they had somehow managed to find there way to class, and were waiting for their first lesson to begin, or if they were just as lost as she was in another part of the castle.

Iliana had waited for the two boys downstairs in the common room this morning, sitting in a squishy, red armchair as she anticipated their arrival. She waited and waited for them, watching many Gryffindors come down and head out through the portrait hole to other areas of the school, but neither Ron nor Harry ever made an appearance. Not wanting to miss out on breakfast she had decided to just wait for them in the Great Hall. Unfortunately, they never showed up there either, resulting in Iliana trying to find her way to her very first class at Hogwarts all by herself.

"Pardon me."

Iliana inclined her head, her forehead creasing as her ears caught the sound of a young, feminine voice.

Was someone speaking to her?

She looked around the emptying corridor, determined to identify the person who had spoken, but no one came forward. No one even looked her way.

Iliana frowned, wilting slightly in discouragement.

Was she hearing things now?

"Up here! I'm up here, girl! In the sapele frame!"

Iliana's eyes widened. There it was again, that voice!

Puzzled, she whirled around and looked to the wall covered in encased artwork. She scanned over the various portraits hanging from it, seeking out the distinct wooden border. She needn't of done that though, for nearly all of the canvases were empty, its occupants visiting other paintings in different areas of the castle.

All except one.

Iliana smiled when her sight fixated on a long painting mounted a little farther down the panel. The little girl inside of it was waving the bouquet of roses she held high above her head in order to grab Iliana's attention, her auburn ringlets bouncing wildly with the movement.

"Hello." Iliana greeted, walking to stand closer to the vignette.

"Hello." Replied the girl, sending her a grin. She straightened up, fixing the crown of flowers situated on her head into its proper place before grabbing onto the skirt of her white lace dress and curtsying. "What is your name?"

"Iliana."

"May I ask you a question, Iliana?"

Iliana nodded.

"Are you lost?"

Flushing, Iliana cast a shy glance at the floor. Was it that obvious?

"Yes." She admitted, returning her gaze to the moving portrait. "I am."

"Do not fret, Iliana!" exclaimed the flower girl. "I have been hung on this wall for hundreds of years and have seen many students lost at one time or another. It is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Really?" said Iliana, relieved to not be the first person to lose their way at Hogwarts.

"Oh, yes! It is quite common." Assured the flower girl. "Would you like some help?"

"Please!" begged Iliana, overjoyed to have finally found a helping hand.

"Where would you like to go?" bubbled the girl, skipping from one portrait to another. "I can take you anywhere in the castle!"

Iliana positively beamed. Perhaps she wouldn't be late to class after all!

"Well, I really need to get to -"

"GOT YOUR CONK!"

Iliana screamed, almost jumping out of her skin when she felt a supernatural force squeeze her nose.

"HONK! HONK!"

Iliana's nose was pinched twice more.

"Stop it! Please, stop it!" She squealed, jerking back and swatting at the air. Wanting to protect herself any way she could, she covered her face with her hand, preventing the entity from grabbing hold of her "conk" yet again.

"What? Does the ickle firstie not want to play?"

"No. She doesn't." Iliana uttered, shaking her head and peeking through the cracks of her fingers.

Two orange eyes were staring back at her

"Too bad, so sad!" Teased the voice, cackling maniacally.

Abruptly, the books Iliana held were ripped from her arms and launched across the hall, landing with hard thuds on the tiled floor. Then her schoolbag was stolen away as well, spinning rapidly, upside down, in the air as devious laughter filled the corridor. The creature, unable to go unseen any longer, revealed itself just before letting go of the bag's strap and chortled as it was flung in a random direction, hit the wall, and touched down on the ground, all of its contents rolling out from inside of it.

Iliana bit her lip, hoping none of her school materials had been broken.

"Peeves!" shouted the flower girl, stomping her foot. "Leave her alone!"

The poltergeist, who was in the middle of pulling out the rug from under Iliana's feet, smiled evilly and flew over to the portrait.

"Party pooper! You're no fun!" he stated, sticking out his tongue at the oil painting before whacking it out of place.

The flower girl yelped as her painting swung roughly from side to side, the continuous rocking motion making it very difficult for her to keep her balance.

Peeves laughed at this, doubling over in hysterics when the girl fell over, no longer able to stay on her feet.

Iliana grimaced, wanting to help the flower girl, but also wanting to use the small window of opportunity she had to escape. With Peeves distracted she could gather her things and get far, far away from him. It was easy for her to decide that she would rather be lost anywhere else in the castle than spend another minute here with Peeves the Prankster.

So as quietly as she could, Iliana tiptoed down the hall, picking up her school supplies along the way. She had just finished shoving the last of her things into her book bag; too anxious to get away to bother checking to make sure nothing was damaged, when the end of her French braid was tugged on, yanking her head back.

"Oww!" she cried, whirling around to grab ahold of the part of her plait that wasn't in Peeve's grasp. "Let go of my hair!"

"No, No, No!" sang Peeves, grinning broadly as he pulled on her hair repeatedly.

"Yes, Yes, Yes!" Iliana demanded, steam practically coming out of her ears. She pulled on her hair, Peeves pulled back. She pulled on her hair again, and Peeves pulled back again, starting an intense game of tug of war between the two.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Oh, Peeves…"

Iliana and Peeves broke eye contact, snapping their heads to the person who had interrupted their battle for dominance over the eleven year old's hair.

Leaning casually against the wall, a smirk on her face as she inspected her nails and then the scene in front of her, was Vianney.

A very amused Vianney.

"What are you doing picking on her for," she asked the poltergeist saucily, motioning to Iliana before pointing behind them. "when there's a first year right over there just waiting to be honored with one of your infamous tricks?"

Iliana turned to see a young Hufflepuff standing by the stairs. He was completely oblivious to everything around him, worried solely about himself as he looked down one hall and then down another. He was clearly lost, not sure which way to go next.

"I'm sure you would have much more fun with him than with her!" Vianney persuaded Peeves, cocking her head to the blonde boy. "She's a bit of a bore. Trust me."

Peeves stared at the boy for a few moments, and then turned to study Iliana. She bit her tongue, staying silent as they stared at one another. She could tell Peeves was weighing his options. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, the corners of his wide mouth quirked up into a calculating simper, and he let go of Iliana's plait, freeing her before soaring through the air to the poor, unsuspecting first year.

"That was mean." Iliana said cringing when the boy suddenly yelled out from having a waste paper basket dropped on his head.

"Mean?" Vianney questioned incredulously, placing her hands on her hips. "I just saved you from Peeves! But, oh, I'm so sorry if you thought my methods in doing so weren't the nicest. Would you rather I just called him back over here to keep teasing you instead? I can, you know?"

She raised her hand to motion him over.

"No! Please, don't!" pleaded Iliana, pulling down Vianney's arm. She felt bad for the Hufflepuff, but she also did not want to deal with Peeves for the second time in one day. "Thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome." responded Vianney promptly, flicking the tiniest piece of dust off of her cloak before examining her. She gasped. "My goodness, who tied your tie? It absolutely atrocious!"

Iliana turned crimson, looking down at her red and gold tie.

" I did."

"Well, you didn't do a very good job. It's all crooked." She explained, pulling Iliana closer, undoing the knot and retying it.

Iliana didn't say a word; too embarrassed she hadn't even been able to dress herself properly today.

"There. Now its perfect." Vianney said, smiling as she smoothed out Iliana's tie for the last time. "You may be a pesky little Gryffindor now, but you're still my sister and I can not have you walking around school looking a total mess! I have a reputation to maintain."

"Congratulations on being sorted, by the way." continued Vianney. "I hoped you would be put in Slytherin like Mother and I, but they only take the best wizards and witches, you know. Not everyone can be lucky enough to be a Slytherin."

"I'm happy to be in Gryffindor." Iliana defended, standing up for herself and her House.

"Sure you are." drawled Vianney sarcastically, holding back a snicker. "Anyway… shouldn't you be getting to class? The bell's going to ring any minute."

"Um, well…I don't really know where it is actually." confessed Iliana bashfully, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Vianney sighed in annoyance.

"Which class is it?" she asked bluntly, raising a brow.

"Transfiguration."

This earned Iliana an eye roll.

"Since it's your first day I'll be nice and show you where it is." Vianney stated. "But pay attention to where were going because I'm showing you once, and only once. Alright?"

Iliana bobbed her head up and down. At this point she was going to take whatever she could get.

" Ok then. Follow me."

And Iliana did. She followed Vianney around Hogwarts, unquestioning and uncomplaining as she was lead to Transfiguration. They walked up flights of stairs and through various corridors, some were still crowded with people, others were deserted. But Iliana disregarded this factor as she trailed after her sister, more interested in analyzing where she was walking than the people situated there. Focused on memorizing the way to class she picked up on certain pieces of unique décor placed in her path, locking away the mental images of coats of armor and particular pieces of art in her brain for when she would need them again.

Soon enough the duo reached the classroom and parted ways. Iliana thanked her sister, managing to give the usually unaffectionate girl a hug, and watched her walk away, waiting until she turned the corner before taking a deep breath and proceeding into the room. The bell rang the moment she stepped through the doorway, and she hurried to find an empty seat, her eyes scanning over the rows of desks when she spotted an open chair next to Hermione. She smiled at the frizzy haired girl as she sat down; gaping once she noticed how prepared Hermione was for their lesson. Her portion of the desk was organized neatly with her already opened textbook set on the table, a considerable stack of blank parchment placed beside it, and not one but two quills to write with.

Concluding she should be ready to learn too, Iliana rustled through her bag, pulling out necessary note taking equipment and placing it on her workspace as Professor McGonagall stood in front of the class and began to speak.

"Good morning, class." She addressed, nodding her head in greeting. "And welcome to Transfiguration. In this course you will learn some of the most complex and dangerous magic taught at Hogwarts. Throughout your educational career you will acquire the information and skills needed to successfully change objects from there original forms into others, and master the art of conversion. It will take much time and effort, but by the time you come of age you will surely be capable of transforming any item into anything you wish."

With a flick of her wand Professor McGonagall exemplified her statement, effortlessly turning her brown wooden desk into a pink pig. She allowed the farm animal to let out a loud oink before altering it back into its original form.

This display of magic impressed the entire class, earning Professor McGonagall their undivided attention.

"That being said, I warn every single one of you to put your best efforts forward and not take this subject lightly. Anyone fooling around in my class will leave and not come back. Understood?"

Everyone nodded his or her head.

"Now, let us begin our first lesson. I would like you all to turn to the first chapter in your textbook and take notes as you read silently. Once you are finished, raise your hand, and I will provide you with the materials you will need to attempt your first try at Transfiguration."

Signaling the children to initiate the reading process, Professor McGonagall traversed to her escritoire, morphing into a tabby cat before leaping up onto it.

Dumbfounded, Iliana shook her head, rubbing her eyes in incredulity. She had never encountered an actual animagus before and the unforeseen shift from human to feline was quite shocking. Being as discrete as she could, Iliana surveyed the chamber, seeking out bright red hair and circular glasses. She wanted to see if Ron and Harry had witnessed the alteration in the Professor's physical character, curious if they were as taken aback as she was, but found them nowhere.

Where were they?

"Meow."

Iliana glanced over at her teacher, reddening when she discovered that the meow had been directed towards her. The Tabby cat looked her directly in the eye, then down at the book in front of her, clearly gesturing for her to get to work. Iliana smiled guiltily and glued her eyes to the page of her book, starting to interpret the words written on it. She picked up her quill to jot down notes as she read, but came to a stop when she aimed to dip her quill in ink and was met only with tabletop. Figuring she had forgotten to take it out of her bag, she dug through the satchel, becoming discontented when she didn't find it. She must have forgotten it back in the hall when she was dealing with Peeves.

"Here" Hermione whispered, noticing Iliana's lack of supplies. She slid her own inkpot so that it was situated between them. " You can use some of my ink."

"Thank you, Hermione!" whispered back Iliana, grateful for the girl's nice gesture. Dipping her quill into the black fluid, she quickly became immersed in her studies, writing down only the most important key points advertised throughout the chapter's content.

It was silent for a couple of minutes, the children actively scribbling on their papyrus, when the door extended from its closed position, opening to expose the presence of two tardy students.

Iliana lifted her head, pausing her handwriting to glimpse at the room's entrance. She perked up instantly, incapable of resisting the urge to grin. For hesitating by the door, eyeballs skimming intensely over the heads of seated students, were Harry and Ron, her friends. Glad they had finally showed up, Iliana stretched as tall as she could in her chair, craning her neck as high as it could go to try and capture their notice. Ron was the first one to recognize her, cracking a smile before nudging Harry and pointing to her. They then jogged over to her, stopping to stand around her desk.

"Whew. We made it." breathed Ron. "Can you imagine the look on old McGonagall's face if she knew we were late?"

Iliana paled, willing with all her might for Ron to be quiet. She couldn't see Professor McGonagall due to the fact that the boys weren't transparent, but knew the teacher had heard his comment, and was more than likely not too pleased.

"I don't even want to picture it." Harry commented, shaking his head before looking at Iliana "Where were you?"

"Yeah." Ron chimed. "We've been just about everywhere looking for you."

"Me?" Iliana questioned in confusion. "I waited for you guys so we could walk to class together, but you never came down."

"Well, we were running a little late." mumbled Ron, side-eying Harry. "Someone didn't want to get out of bed this morning."

"Excuse me." Hermione said, glaring at Ron and Harry as she put down her quill. "Can you two please sit down, and be quiet? Some of us are trying to work here."

"Work? But Professor McGonagall isn't even here yet." countered Ron questioningly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, nodding her head to Professor McGonagall.

That was the moment the Professor chose to reveal herself, morphing back into her human form as she jumped from her place on the table.

Harry and Ron's mouths fell ajar.

"That was bloody brilliant!" blurted Ron, stunned.

"Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley." Professor McGonagall said, giving him a pointed look. "Perhaps it would be more useful if I were to transfigure Mr. Potter or yourself into a pocket watch? That way one of you might be on time."

"We got lost." Harry stuttered, eyes wide.

"Then perhaps a map?" McGonagall corrected, giving them a stern look over her square spectacles. "I trust you don't need one to find your seats?"

They shook their heads and plopped down in the closest chairs available to them, exchanging a look with each other, and then Iliana, before trying to catch up with the rest of the class.

Later, after taking a great deal of complex notes, each student was given a match with which they were to change into a needle. It was very complicated. Iliana tried her best to get the match to change, but the best she could do was get it half way there. One half of the object remained a wooden stick while the other half turned silver and pointy. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione had managed to successfully accomplish the given task, receiving well-deserved praise from Professor McGonagall for her achievement.

Iliana, Ron, and Harry stuck close together after that first class, united as they faced the challenges of navigating through the ginormous estate. Loosing and finding the right routes to their courses frequently, the trio found themselves in trouble more than once. Mr. Filch, always accompanied by his precious cat, Mrs. Norris, reprimanded them regularly, getting on their case about accidentally being where they weren't supposed to. And Peeves drove them bonkers, always seeming to pop up wherever they were to torture them. Along with that came the whispers and gossip regarding Harry. No matter where they were, whispers seemed to always float around them, eyes ogling Harry and his lightning shaped scar. Iliana could tell it made her friend uncomfortable, and would become more talkative whenever the gawking was more apparent, striving to drown out the buzzing of shallow babble to help her friend feel more normal.

The classes, once they succeeded in finding them, were brilliant. On the night of every Wednesday, they would venture up to the very top of the highest tower on the grounds and study the celestial black sky. They would study the movement of the planets and observe the beautiful, but different bodies of light gracing humanity with their presence, learning about their specific features as well as their names. Another class of theirs was Herbology. A sweet, pudgy, little witch named Professor Sprout taught this subject, educating the students on how to grow, care, and use the simplest and most exotic plant life known to wizard or witch.

The least captivating class they attended was, without a doubt, History of Magic. Iliana found the subject itself very intriguing, and truly wanted to like it, but it was very hard to considering who the teacher of the course was. Mr. Binns was a ghost, but his state of being wasn't the problem. It was his tone of voice that made it so difficult not to fall asleep during his lessons. Binns would simply drone on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, occasionally mixing up certain historical figures with others and confusing the students.

Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a stack of half a dozen books to see over his desk. When calling out role, the small wizard gave an excited squeak when he came to Harry's name, becoming so thrilled that he slipped off of his pile of publications and toppled out of sight.

The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's schooling turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. Regardless of the reason, Iliana couldn't stand the strong odor and covered her nose and mouth during most of the class, only taking periodic breaks to breathe. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but Iliana wasn't sure she believed this story. She didn't know of anyone that did.

On Friday morning, the three friends reached a goal they were beginning to think they would never obtain. They finally made it down to the Great Hall without getting lost.

"What have we got today?" Harry asked, pouring an excessive amount of sugar on his porridge.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins." Iliana said, taking a bite of her jam covered toast.

"Snape's Head of Slytherin House. Everyone says he always favors them – we'll be able to see if it's true." Ron commented with a mouth full of eggs.

"Wish McGonagall favored us." muttered Harry, scooping up a spoonful of warm cereal before letting it dribble back down into the bowl.

"Just because she gave us homework doesn't mean she doesn't favor us." opposed Iliana. "Maybe it means the opposite. Maybe she favors us so much that she wants us to learn as much as we can, so we can be the best."

Both Ron and Harry stopped eating, turning their heads to look at her skeptically.

"What?" Iliana questioned. "I said maybe…"

"I personally agree with your theory." piped in Hermione, who was sitting alone a couple of seats away.

"Yeah, well, nobody asked you." grunted Ron, groaning when Harry thwacked his shoulder.

"You do?" Iliana said, smiling at Hermione.

The Gryffindor genius nodded.

"Its makes perfect sense. She's a clever witch, she would want the ones she favors to be clever too."

"My ideal Professor wouldn't make me do any work, or give me any homework!" voiced Ron.

"So, you mean a Professor who would give you an A for doing absolutely nothing?" challenged Hermione.

"Exactly."

The post arrived then, the hooting of owls alerting the students of Hogwarts before the birds swooped into the Great Hall, flapping their wings as they circled over the tables, searching for their owners and dropping letters and packages onto their laps once they found them. Iliana analyzed every owl as they soared into the chamber, hoping to spot Driscoll among the array of feathered animals. Driscoll was Annalise's owl, and Iliana had borrowed him earlier in the week to deliver a letter she had written to her Mother and Father. She was eagerly waiting for a response from them, and trusted that today was the day she would collect one. It was! Thankfully, Iliana located the beautiful black and brown winged fowl just as he swooped in from the outside world. She bounced in her seat, raising her arm high in the air so he could see her, and smiled as he flew over to her.

"Good boy, Driscoll! Thank you!" she praised, stroking the animal in gratitude before untying one of three letters attached to his leg. The bird nipped at her ear affectionately, took the piece of bread she offered him in his beak, and returned to the air, sailing to the Hufflepuff, and then the Slytherin table to deliver the rest of the mail to her sisters.

Dying to hear from her parents, Iliana tore open the letter, rushing to read what they had written her.

 _Dear Baby Daughter,_

 _Congratulations on being sorted into Gryffindor! We are so very proud of you, Love. We know you are going to go on to accomplish great things in life, and can't wait until you do! Now, how are you, darling? Are your sisters taking care of you? Helping you with whatever you need? Just tell us if they aren't, and we'll have a stern talking with them. Are you eating regularly? Doing your schoolwork? We hope you are! It's very important you do the best you can in school. Anyhow, we love and miss you very much, and are so glad you're so happy at Hogwarts! We can't wait until the next time we can give you lots of hugs and kisses. We're counting down the days until Christmas Holidays, especially Jispey. Write us soon._

 _Love,_

 _Mummy, and Daddy_

Iliana's heart warmed, delighted to have finally heard from her parents. She folded the letter, placing it back into its envelope, and then into her satchel for safekeeping. She would read it again later. Then, aiming to finish her breakfast, she turned back to her plate, pleasantly surprised when she found Hedwig drinking from her water goblet.

"Thirsty, Hedwig?" she asked the bird, giggling.

Hedwig lifted her head, answering her with a cute hoot, and hopped over to her, nuzzling her downy head into the crook of Iliana's neck.

Iliana chuckled again, softly embracing the snowy owl before looking at Ron and Harry. Ron was occupied with chugging down the last of his milk, while Harry was busy reading a letter sent to him.

"Hagrid wants me to go have tea with him today at three." Harry said borrowing Ron's quill to respond to the half-giant's request. "Do you two want to go with me?"

Iliana and Ron accepted the invitation gleefully, waiting for Harry to send Hedwig off with his reply to Hagrid before heading to potions class. Potions lessons took place down in the dungeons. It was colder here than in any other main part of the castle. It was also a bit spookier. Iliana felt a bit queasy as she took a seat between Harry and Ron in the chilled, eerie room, making an effort to avoid staring at the animal parts floating in glass jars aligned on the shelves.

The students chatted amongst themselves as they waited for the potions master to arrive, falling silent when the door to the chamber suddenly swung open, revealing Professor Snape. The tall, greasy-haired man traipsed to the front of the room, not sparing a single glance at his new students, but instead preferring to simply glance at their names written on a scroll. He started class by calling out roll, pausing at Harry's name.

"Ah, yes," he murmured. "Harry Potter. Our new – _celebrity_."

Draco and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands.

Iliana took it upon herself to glare at them.

Snape looked up at the class once he finished calling names.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word – like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand waving here, hardly any of you will believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldrons with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Only silence followed his little speech. Iliana, Ron, and Harry exchanged glances while Hermione slid to the edge of her seat, looking more than ready to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry froze, speechless while Hermione's hand shot into the air.

Snape stared at Harry expectantly, waiting for an answer. When he got none, he probed the boy further.

"You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand even higher in the air, but was still ignored.

"I don't know, sir," admitted Harry.

"And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"I don't know, sir," mumbled Harry, again.

"Pity." said Snape. "Clearly fame isn't everything, is it, Mr. Potter?"

Iliana frowned, bothered by her Professor's persistent picking on Harry.

"Clearly Hermione knows." responded Harry, bothered as well. "Seems a pity not to ask her."

The class laughed.

"Put your hand down, you silly girl." Snape snapped at Hermione, his black eyes never leaving Harry. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is know as the Draught of Living Death. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

Iliana clumsily rummaged for a quill and paper, along with the rest of her classmates. Over the scrambling of things, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter."

Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Draco, whom he seemed to like. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the entire class scrambled to stand on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

Iliana smashed her lips together, struggling to stay silent. She didn't want to speak out of turn, but Neville had made an honest mistake. He hadn't meant to mess up! It was an accident!

"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat to Seamus, rounding on Harry and Ron the moment they walked out the door.

"You – Potter – why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."

Iliana's face scrunched up in befuddlement. How in the world was this Harry's fault? She squared her shoulders, opening her mouth to fight for Harry's innocence in the situation when Ron poked her arm, shaking his head.

"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."

"Is he not nasty now?" Iliana grumbled, scowling at Professor Snape when he wasn't looking. "Could have fooled me."

An hour later, the threesome basically sprinted from the dungeons; elated they no longer had to endure Snape's instruction. Traveling across the castle, and out the main entrance of the fortress into the warm sunshine, they moved across the grounds, admiring the scenery around them as they walked. They halted in their tracks when they came to a small wooden house built right on the edge of the forbidden forest. While Harry knocked on the door, Iliana squinted her eyes, trying to see past the thick cluster of trees deeper into the woodlands, pondering what creatures existing within it made the forest so prohibited until a scrabbling came from inside the hut, followed with several booming barks.

"Back, Fang – _back_." sounded Hagrid's voice from the other side of the door. His big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled open the door.

"Hang on," he said. " _Back,_ Fang."

He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang. The dog bounded over to Ron, knocking him down on the couch and licking his ears. Iliana giggled, sitting down next to the disgusted ginger to pet the canine. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked. After tasting enough of Ron's ears, Fang turned to Iliana, wagging his tail as he jumped on her lap, squishing her with his weight. Though it was a bit hard for her to breath, Iliana didn't mind Fang's heaviness and smiled as she ran her hands over his furry body, laughing happily when his long tongue licked her face.

"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate. "and Iliana."

"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. "I spent half of me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."

"Sorry." apologized Ron.

Hagrid turned to Iliana then, smiling sincerely as he offered her a rock cake.

"Nice ter meet yeh, young lady."

"Nice to meet you too, Hagrid." Iliana said, grinning as she picked up a chunky block of pastry.

The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that were so hard they almost broke their teeth, but Iliana, Harry, and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid about their first lessons, shoving them into the pockets of their cloaks instead of down their throats. Fang rested by Iliana's feet, rolled over on his back so she could rub his belly. The trio was delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch "that old git."

"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to fang sometime."

Iliana chuckled. Something told her Fang wouldn't do anything to Mrs. Norris. He probably would be the one afraid of her, not the other way around.

"D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her – Filch puts her up to it."

Iliana, Ron, and Harry continued on with the tale of their first week of school, enlightening Hagrid about their horrible lesson with Snape, and how he had treated Harry.

"Ah, don' worry 'bout 'im, Harry." said Hagrid. "It's rare Snape likes any studen' at all."

"But he seemed to really _hate_ me."

"Rubbish!" dismissed Hagrid. "Why should he?"

"I don't know, Hagrid. But he was really mean to Harry. He kept calling on him to answer questions no one really even knew, and blamed him for every little thing that went wrong in class today." Iliana stated, siding with Harry.

"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot – great with animals."

Iliana blinked, taken aback at how abruptly he had changed the subject. Deeming that he no longer wanted to discuss the issue, Iliana sat on the floor, playing with Fang while Ron told Hagrid about his brother's work with dragons.

"Hagrid!" said Harry, interrupting their conversation. He held a clipping from the _Daily Prophet_ in his hand. "That Gringotts break in happened on my birthday! It might have been happening while we were there!"

Iliana looked from Hagrid, to Harry, and then back to Hagrid. The adult man said nothing, simply offering Harry another rock cake instead of an answer. Harry frowned at this, furrowing his brows at Hagrid's behavior.

They left Hagrid's hut as the sun set in the sky, preparing to rest itself as the moon readied to take its place in the atmosphere. Stomachs grumbling, they made their way back to the castle for dinner, discussing Hagrid's suspicious behavior and the break in at Gringotts quietly amongst themselves as they filled their guts with food.


End file.
